Neo-Tokyo

[ajcj213499]

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.

This is very pretty, but has too much of a cherry smell for my liking (I can't bear the smell of cherries since I was sick awhile ago and overdosed on Halls cherry coughdrops). It's very nice otherwise though...

[kakiphony]

In the imp:

Hmm...I had to sniff this one at least three times to make my brain register what I was smelling. It's not that it's a particularly faint scent, just that it's so complex it was hard for me to form a quick impression. It was sweet, but not cloying, and was definitely fruity. It had a bit of a medicinal quality to it, but nothing as gag inducing as the cherries of the Red Queen. I put it on with reservations.

 

Wet:

This was quite fruity on initial application, but the smell was not (thankfully!) cherries. It reminded me of fresh damson plums. There was something fresh and green under the fruit, and I suspected it was the bamboo. The whole scent was also very wet. It reminded me of walking in my uncle's fruit orchard just after a spring rain.

 

Early dry down:

This turned into something very pleasant, and it has made me a lot less nervous about Dragon Moon. (The cherry blossom note intimidated me, but if this is it, I'll be quite pleased.) There's a floral-musk undertone and the fruit and green note have combined to smell almost exactly like Twining's Summer Fruits black tea. The boy's comment was a non-committal, "Nice," but he kept asking to smell it again, which is usually a good sign.

 

Late Dry Down:

This didn't really morph anymore from the early dry-down stage; it just faded. By about two hours after application, I had to snuffle my wrist repeatedly to get any sort of hold on the notes. It was fruity-floral, but definitely musky as well. Back when I was making inquiries about the cherry blossom note to decide whether or not I should buy a bottle of Dragon Moon, someone told me that cherry blossoms are musky, so I suspect that the cherry blossom is the strongest note on me. It's a very refreshing scent, and I suspect it might get spring/summer wear. It also made me feel young and rather hip, which are usually good things.

 

Conclusion:

I like this. I'm surprised by just how much I like it since it's definitely not at all like my usual spicy/foody/rich/sweet scents. It fades quickly, which is a possible draw-back, but the scent it leaves behind is musky and fruity and all together gorgeous. It's enough outside of my current preferences that I doubt I'll order a bottle for myself, but I'll happily put a bottle of it on my Wishlist for swaps, gifts, etc.

[gwyllgi]

The contradictions of modern Japan are one of my many fascinations, and so I was particularly looking forward to trying what sounds like it would be a pell-mell scent. I certainly wasn't disappointed; it encompasses perfectly the confluence of modern and traditional.

 

When I first opened the imp, it was bamboo, bamboo, and more bamboo. I like the scent of bamboo, but it tends to be overpowering on me, so I kept my fingers crossed as I put it on. The bamboo mellows almost instantly, while the florals come forward and flirt with a faint metallic tang, with just a hint of fruit. The fruits fade fairly quickly on me as well, so I was left with metallic florals which for some reason made me want to pick up ikebana again. Hm.

 

My only problem with this is that my skin devours it, so it's terribly fleeting. Given my hesitance to slather (especially in the summer), this is going straight into a locket as soon as I get my 5ml. (With the metallics, I'm thinking this would be spiffy as a scent for my car, too. Kabuki needs a break.)

[batsy]

In the vial: wet cherries/cherry blossoms

 

On the skin: Neo-Tokyo is like Akuma's sophisticated older cousin. It's aquatic and ozone-y, like cherries smashed all over wet pavement. There's a wet fruit undertone as well, very clean and crisp. If you like cherries, you'd love this.

[dancink]

In the imp there is an astringent, almost metallic scent to this, and I almost dismissed this straight out. I'm so glad I didn't, because on this is very, very pretty & sweetly feminine. Wet it reminds me of Nashi Pears and cherry blossoms; dry it's a lovely soft orchid, and whilst I can't actually consiously smell the bamboo, it does take me back to a particular summer day a few years back, when I'd ditched school and wandered around the Adelaide Botanic Gardens. The wall of living bamboo that runs along one of the footpaths has always been a favorite spot, and this scent takes me there. I'm not sure this'll be a scent I'll wear often, but I do think I'll buy a bottle for those days when I need a bit of peace and quiet.

 

~ Received as a free impie from eclipsedeyes over on lj ~

[Aredhel]

Rating (on skin): 2/5

Summarised in a word or two: Soap.

 

In the imp: Bamboo, cherry blossom, orchid and fruits. Very green, and a bit astringent.

 

On skin, wet: Bamboo! Very green and fresh, with something sweet and faintly fruity in the background. It's already edging dangerously close to "soapy" territory, but it's not quite there.

 

On skin, dry: There's something citrusy lurking here, but it's fleeting. The orchid appears as Neo-Tokyro dries, elbowing the bamboo out of the way and asserting diva-like dominance. No sign of anything fruity anymore, but the cherry blossom still lingers, lending the occasional drift of itself to the orchid. After a while, it's a bit like Dragon Moon, which confuses me, because I don't catch anything approaching Dragon's Blood here. Odd. And, after about an hour, it becomes distinctly soapy, citrus-floral it's become.

 

Conclusion/Notes: Bamboo, citrus and florals all have the habit of turning into soapy messes on me, and Neo-Tokyo's no different.

[HennaFairy]

bottle:

ozone floral!

 

wet:

watery ozone with floral and a bit of spice in the background

 

dry:

a nice balance of ozone and other scents. Ozone without too much masculinity

overall:

love it!

 

rating: 8/10

[storme]

In the imp: mmmm cherry. and a hint of metal and bamboo behind it.

 

On me, wet: whoa, this is like Ultraviolet with cherry instead of violet. I swear I can smell *mint* in this. And the faintest trace of.. plum, maybe?

 

On me, dry: ah, the metal madness has died down a little - it's become a rather nice cherry blossom over plum sort of scent, with a watery hint of bamboo keeping everything from becoming too sweet.

 

Verdict: this fades pretty fast, but I think I'm going to need to keep the imp around anyway. Yum!

[filigree_shadow]

Tried this one through the GC circular swap.

 

Smells mostly aquatic to me, but sweet too. The florals are modest and not overly strong. I like the cherry blossom a lot. This oil smells cute. I like it, and will get an imp of my own. Not sure about a bottle yet, though.

[Eunice]

Goodness! I smell those cherry blossoms right off. There is a fruitiness here that finally isn't too sweet for me. And the ozone and green bamboo scent is heavenly. I wasn't interested in trying this when I read the description on the Lab site but after trying an imp, I am hooked!

[Ryvre]

In the imp: Sweet- possibly the cherry- with something minty and astringent.

 

Wet: Mint and metal, with a bit of fruit in the background.

 

Dry: Still mint and fruit. Am I the only one getting mint from this?

[nerdcraft]

in the vial:

Cherry with a wet, herbal-y scent behind it.

wet:

This is so different from what I was expecting! It smells a lot less bright and fruity than I'd hoped. The cherry blossom has really faded. It actually does have a metallic tang to it, now that I think about it.

 

dry:

It gets more and more ozone-y as time goes on. I'm starting to suspect my skin amps ozone into a generic body wash/hand soap smell - every ozone scent I've tried ends up that way. There is a bit of green fruit underneath the ozone.

season: any

office-friendly? yes

 

overall:

This fades super-quickly on me (as in, 30 minutes later it's completely gone) which is sad because I rather like it. I'll definitely try this again, because I like the concept and I don't really mind the clean sharpness of ozone. Too bad the other scents didn't stick around on my skin, because this starts out very nice. I think it could be a guy or girl scent.

[WidgetAlley]

Acquired in a swap with.... someone. Thank you! I've been looking forward to this for a while, but it seems to go to soap on a lot of people, and I have soapy skin, so I'm nervous. *chews nails*

 

In the Imp: Hmm. Interesting. I get the ozone, and something coolly, almost bitterly, green (the bamboo?). It's very wet and crisp and clean and yeah, a bit soapy. But in a pleasant way. There are floral and fruit overtones, too, that come out a little on second sniff. This is really high-class smelling stuff... and it does remind me of minimalist design and Asian mountains. Me gusto!

 

Wet: Soap. But really expensive, spicy-wet-green-fruit soap with just a hint of flowery goodness. There is a certain hard-edged quality to it as well; maybe the metallics? I have to say, for something that smells essentially like detergent, it does a really good job of capturing the feel of Tokyo. Beth, you're magic.

 

Dry: Cherries! And woody, grounding bamboo, and clean ozone, and a little floral, and an unidentifiable sweetness. The overall effect is very freshly-scrubbed, polite, but powerful. Remarkably understated and luxurious, but still present. The soap can be a little much at times, but I'll probably keep this around and see how much I reach for it-- it'd be great to cool me off on hot summer days, particularly when I need a suave boost of confidence.

[lunareclipse]

In the imp: complex... cherry blossoms, bamboo and a strong ozone tang.

 

Wet: Still with the cherry blossoms, bamboo and ozone, but now there's a citrusy scent (yuzu, maybe?). Very clean and crisp, but feminine.

 

Drydown: Maintains the complex fruit/floral/ozone/citrus accord. Beautifully balanced and very subtle and delicate... it stays very close to my skin, which would make it a perfect scent for a professional environment.

 

To sum up, kawaii... but iki, too.

[portalkat]

When I first smelled this on, I thought that it was a bright, fresh, contemporary scent and something that is often referred to as a "spa" scent. The smell was very green with a slight floral note and some fruits in the background. I liked it, have worn similar scents, but it isn't what I'm drawn to these days. That was all the thought that I gave it for a couple of hours. Then I kept smelling something so incredibly beautiful and realized that it was coming from me. Neo-Tokyo had morphed into this wonderful luscious orchid. Oh, I am in love!

[Caltha]

Neo-Tokyo

I wrote a review but it was eaten. Damn. I'll be sure to copy this shorter version before pressing the button...

Anyway, I can't quite figure Neo-Tokyo out. I don't know what colour to give it or whether I like it or not. It's also faint, I put some in my hair but can't feel it so I put a tad on my wrists to refresh my memory but I can hardly feel it still. Might be my nose, I seem to have a slight cold. Yesterday I could still feel it after an hour at least.

Neo-Tokyo starts out pretty much as a fresh green tea scent. It's vaguely fruity, floral and soapy, or at least it has a clean, cool vibe. Perhaps it's metallic?

According to my notes from yesterday, it dries down to a pretty generic cool, fresh, light perfume, with a hint of incense to BPAL things up a bit.

The little scent I get today is more warm and sweet and fruity, with that little incense hint.

I'll definitely keep it, at least until I figure it out and am bored with it.

[bheansidhe]

This one alters noticeably with age. I have two vials, one bought on eBay as a mixed lot and one received fresh from the lab last week. The older vial was darker and had a syrupy floral overlay. The new vial smelled much lighter and fresher, with a high cherry nose. However, the scents were similar enough that I'll wrap them into one review.

 

I wasn't familiar with bamboo (is that the same as oude?) until I tried Holiday Moon. After that I was able to pinpoint the bamboo note in Dragon Moon and again in Neo-Tokyo. Bamboo seems to like my skin chemistry; green and juicy, almost like a fruit musk (if there was such a thing).

 

In the vial: fruit notes dominate - possibly plum. I also smell ozone and bamboo.

 

On my skin: a surface similarity to Holiday Moon, which must be the bamboo. Neo-Tokyo greens up and cools down on my skin. The fruit notes subside into a delicate wash of cherry blossom. The fresh imp is MUCH lighter and more cherry-scented than the heavily green-oude aged vial.

 

On wearing: both aged and new samples mellow and sweeten. I get faint wafts of "crisp mountain air" and "ozone" off of the fresh sample, along with the cherry and bamboo. The older sample just smells like sweet, slightly fermented bamboo pulp. I don't detect a metallic note in either sample, on drydown or later. I'm lousy at picking out orchid, but I don't think I get orchid either.

 

Verdict: light and sweet without being cloying - a delicate Hayao Miyzaki-style watercolor of urban Tokyo (minus the fish guts and diesel fumes). Fans of Peony Moon might also like this one, more for the "feel" of the blend than for an exact scent resemblance. On me it didn't develop the electricity or urban metallics in the description, but it was a nice scent despite that - very spring or summer.

Edited December 9, 2007 by bheansidhe

[edenssixthday]

Neo-Tokyo is a really fascinating scent. It’s incredibly light on my skin, and it’s hard to distinguish any of the notes. It’s cool and crisp, and pretty. It’s lightly floral and has a touch of something that’s not tea, but smells similar to tea – perhaps that’s the bamboo in the blend? It also has a very faint touch of sweetness in the background that smells like plum or perhaps even starfruit. It’s a beautiful blend. It’s much lighter on my skin than it is in the vial, and lasts for less than 2 hours until it’s entirely gone. I will be trying this one in a scent locket to see if the scent lasts longer. It’s really pretty.

[cranberry]

On the skin, this reminds me a lot of the asian moons, Holiday Moon in particular. I smell mainly bamboo, and a bit of tea (despite it not being listed in the ingredients). After it's been on a couple minutes, I smell some mint and maybe a touch of lemon or citrus. It's cool, light, clear and refreshing. I'm not getting a lot of florals from this scent. I'm enjoying this more than I thought that I would. I'm getting a touch of ozone but it's not bad; too much ozone and I'm outta there but I'm still enjoying this, it adds to the crispness and coolness of the scent. After it's been on a while, the ozone element becomes stronger on me and at this point, it becomes a bit overwhelming and not a scent for me.

[AliBabble]

i've been waiting a long time to try this...out of the imp, the first thing i notice is an almond-cherry smell...the cherry blossoms. very lovely, reminds me a bit of budding moon, in its gentleness. the bright citrusy bamboo is there too, and i'm getting a bit of holiday moon, too. on my skin the ozone comes more, which was my fear, but it's not too bad, - it's fresh and bracing, and i can still detect a hint of the fading cherry blossoms. this is a lovely, clean, fresh scent. the "fresh and clean" category is not my favorite tho, as it tends to smell a bit soapy on me, but the subtle lingering cherry blossom and bamboo keep me liking it for its delicate quality.

[Voleuse]

On first application, this is bright and sweet. There's a creamy note that somehow edges towards metallic, and I can just barely smell the fruits.

 

As it dries, the ozone in the blend stands out sharply, though it's tempered by the cherry. This is a fascinating scent, because it never quite settles on me. Instead, it flips between ozone and floral, cream and metal. Neat!

[fairy]

In the bottle this had a sharp, clean scent. On my wrist, it calmed down a bit and became more powdery, which I LOVED. After a while it got creamy-smelling. I really like this one and I'm really glad I tried it on because this is one that I like much better ON, than in the bottle. Give her a try!

[kwsix]

In the bottle: Neo-Tokyo is fresh, soft, and feminine. It's also a little chilly. If this scent were a color, I think it would be cool white, with silvery pink highlights.

 

Wet: This is a very modern and playful scent. It reminds me of delicate blossoms and bamboo over frosty cool air. I suppose the frosty air scent is from the ozone and metallics - it reminds me of taking a deep breath on an icy cold day, but without the pain. My husband said it smells like shower-fresh skin, or a really nice dryer sheet. Yes, he meant it as a compliment.

 

Dry: I really like this. It's very modern and sophisticated. The bamboo and cherry blossom make it very clean and girly, but the ozone and metallics add a complexity that keeps it from being boring. As the scent fades, it goes a little powdery on me, but it still smells very lovely and not at all like baby powder.

 

Summary: Neo-Tokyo is perfect for me to wear to work when I want a more subtle but still unique scent. To my unsophisticated nose, it smells a little like Chanel No. 5, but much more pleasant and interesting. From the description, I never would have chosen this one, so I'm very lucky that a thoughtful forumite sent it to me.

[Miseraya]

In the imp: Soapy. Very clean and fresh smelling. Like a very expensive shower gel, that I want to smell like when I get out. This is not a warm scent, but not really a cold scent either. I would say it's "cool".

 

On the wrist, wet: Still very clean smelling. Definitely an expensive shower gel sort of smell. Starting to get some fruit to this one now. This is definitely a fruity, floral and clean scent. Very fresh and sweet in a way that is very subtle. Despite being a fairly delicate scent, the throw and strength of this is good. Strong, but delicate. There is some definite wafting. I like.

 

On the wrist, dry: I must say this smells completely different now then it did in the imp, and yet in some strange way, reminiscent. That "soap" smell has turned into a nice fresh after the rain smell. With water beading up on cherry blossoms and orchids.

 

Final Analysis: This is definitely a winner. Big bottle!

[forspecial_plate]

I've been putting off reviewing this because it's hard for me to describe. It's light, fresh and sweet, kind of floral with a dash of cherry candy. There's also something.....different underlying all of this. Maybe it's the ozone-tinged electric light. It's very subtle whatever it is, and I'm not even sure the people around me would detect it, but it must be the ozone....it makes me think of flower petals on wet metal (I know that came from Ultraviolet's description but it's very appropriate here too).

 

As it dries down much of the blend fades leaving the candy sweetness behind, although this takes a good 3 or 4 hours. One of my favorite scents, this is something I would wear on a first date. It's sweet on top with mysterious undertones.