Neo-Tokyo

[shadow]

This scent was created for a very dear friend in Kyoto, with love, admiration and continent-spanning affection. The name itself was inspired by Vladimir. 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 beautiful. In the vial it's light and delicate, a little cold. Immediately after putting it on, I get a light fruity smell, I don't know what the fruit is, but it's a bit like apple. Not that strong fake green apple smell, or the heavy, sweet apple smell of Hesperides, but a clean, delicate, just cut an apple in half smell. This scent is REALLY light, almost nonexistent, and then it does this weird morphing thing. Over the next hour it slowly gains substance, gets stronger, and smooths out. I think my skin must have grabbed what little orchid is in there, because it's reminding me a bit of Blue Moon or any other scent I've tried with orchid in it. Five hours later it's still there, and it's blended into my skin in a gorgeous way. This is going on my bottle list. I'm glad I got a sample of this because I probably wouldn't have ordered it on my own.

[any_old_actress]

FIRST SNIFF: green and yellow smelling...

 

WEARING IT: i can smell the bamboo up front and there's a definite sense of frosty air. it's very light and airy and delicate. there's a sweetness deep in the background that i can't really detect and as it dries a hint of fruitiness appears.

 

FINAL VERDICT: very pretty, but not a scent i loved.

[clephan]

In the Imp: Very light and clean smelling. Reminded me a little of kumiho.

 

Applying: Lemon! Where did all this lemon come from all of a sudden? I'm one of those people on whom June Gloom is little other than lemon verbena for the first hour or so, and this seemed to be starting to do something similar.

 

Wearing: OK, the lemon is calming down a lot now, and it's moving more towards a soft green scent. I was hoping to be able to pick out more of the notes from the description but they're so well blended they all go into one.

 

Lasting: This has faded to almost nothing after about an hour. I think I'm going to need to apply this in quantitiy if it's going to have any throw or lasting power. (I used about 6 wand-swipes, my normal amount)

[hypothermya]

First Impression

 

A very green, wet smell out of the vial. Smells heavily like bamboo and cherry blossoms, with crisp streams or maybe city drizzles. Not quite as green or oriental as I thought it might be though. Which isn't at all a bad thing. But it very much captures a more city type of scent than it does a pastoral type.

 

Wearing It

 

When I first put it on, the orchid gains some ground and the cherry blossoms and bamboo. It smells slightly like wood (the bamboo), with a cherry/slightly fruity/pale floral. And I think I might be slightly allergic to this, since it prompted two quick sneezes. But then it does something *very* weird. The instant it dries, the scent of all of this almost vanishes. I'm left with a slightly ozone smelling cologne scent. There's a little bit of bamboo that I can pick up, and the scent of city rain again, but otherwise... It's all gone. Weird... Maybe I'll have to pass this along to my boyfriend and see how it smells on him.

 

Well, I was really excited about trying this one, but I guess I'm just puzzled now. It's not bad. But it's also not quite there either. If I expected anything, it certainly wasn't the vanishing act this one did. It's nice. But something I'd expect to smell coming from a clean shaven business man. The first reviewer mentioned it reminding her of Blue Moon, and this is a bit true...the cleanness of the scent is similar... But even Blue Moon had more scent than this! ...Oh well... Off to test it out on my boyfriend.

[Astarte]

I had an impression of it smelling more of a grounded floral, but its quite sophisticated, my initial impression is wow, green and sharp. I cant detect any lemon as others have. It must be the bamboo I can smell initially, its a foreign note to my nose. Blended behind it are a floral backdrop, if you strain to look between the notes, I can detect a faint sweet note which I presume is the cherry blossom.

 

Very clean and sophisticated, I can see this being a perfect work/interview blend.

[Northernminx]

Light and crisp in the bottle, rather ozone-ish.

This lingered for a few moments with a delicate, light wet scent, cold and crisp. I could pick out the cherry blossom for a moment, and the ozone tang but then it just soaped on me. Sigh.

Into the swap pile for someone it works with.

[isyche]

First impression – light, somewhat green/grassy (bamboo?), somewhat aquatic, very light floral in there too (cherry blossom?).

 

I quite like it – the aquatic isn't air freshener-y like Lightning, it's not too sweet, and the bamboo and cherry blossom are fresh and yet sophisticated. Rather like a Japanese flower arrangement in that the elements are from nature, but refined and highly stylized...definitely more city than country.

 

The original scent didn't last very long, but it left this cool/clean aura that lasted all afternoon.

[AnnetteL]

The dominant note on me is the bamboo, with some light florals and hints of crisp air. It's not at all strong, I applied twice as many wand-swipes as usual and it's still just a light hint of scent.

 

Serenity is certainly the right feeling here - I have to say I don't get as much of a modern vibe as I expected.

 

This is a case of not being the kind of fragrance that I prefer, but I think it is the nicest I have smelt in this fresh airy-green-floral genre. (Admittedly I could tell just from the description that it would probably be too light for me, but it was a free extra from the lab, and I probably would have ordered it eventually anyway because of my not-so-slight obsession with Tokyo!)

[Laurel the Woodfairy]

Lost in Translation in a bottle! Light, sophisticated, urbane and wistful--just like Scarlett J's character.

 

I wanted this for my boy--the huge anime fan--and he'll be the one who wears it, since I like stronger florals, but it really is gender-neutral; I can wear it just as well. The cherry blossoms are present but faint; what really came through on me was the "electric light" and "crisp mountain air", both of which shouldn't even have a smell...but somehow they do. Nice job, Beth!

[deandra]

I am so lucky this was included as a free imp!

 

Neo-Tokyo is an invigorating light citrusy fragrance. The mint wakes me up. This is one of the clean smells, but not as soapy as Water of Notre Dame. It's brighter and a little more electric, but not too sharp.

 

This is a great fresh-out-of-the-shower fragrance.

 

I'm considering getting a bottle of this.

Edited September 4, 2004 by deandra

[diabolique]

in the vial, this is soft, clean, and relaxing. it's not exactly how i expected it. i'm not sure if "clean" is the word i should use, but i can't think of any other way to describe it.

 

when i put it on, it's very breezey and light. it makes me want to be outside sitting in the grass underneath a huge tree on a windy day. this is my ideal spring scent. unfortunately, it basically evaporates on me, as i expected it would. this one was gone within 30 minutes. i like it a lot, though, and i'm really glad to have tried it.

[reina]

I put this on at 1:30 PM.

Aha! now I know what all those mass-produced summer perfumes aspire towards. I can just imagine wearing this on a hot humid day in Tel Aviv. in fact, I'm going there tomorrow to pay for my salsa instructors course. I'll be wearing this.

it is very clean and comfortable, yet still very elegant. Like a well kept woman in linen, white trousers and a white blouse, yet still manages to look tailored, no matter how casual the look.

 

The citrus amplifies itself on me 5 minutes after application, such a fresh scent. I don't get anything leafy, no tea or bamboo or anything I associate with botanicals. all I get is just a sweet, somewhat soapy fruity-floral blend of things. I guess the cherry blossom is what makes this seem like a luxurious body wash. half an hour into wearing this it starts smelling a bit like generic department-store perfume. That's a phase I like less, but it doesn't last long enough to make it a real issue. It fades relatively quickly, which is unfortunate. I wanted it to last all day long.

however at ten past 9 PM I can still smell a faint trace of it on my skin. so, so fresh. I would kill to have a laundry powder smell like this. oh, has anyone tried to make linen spray (or ironing water) with BPAL?

This is the perfect one for this, I'd like to know how to. Or could this be longer lasting as body oil? I really want to smell like Neo-Tokyo all day long.

this may very well be the first fruity blend that works with my chemistry. That's a big, joyous surprise.

 

Definitely a 5 ml in the future. Especially since I see my future more clearly now and it seems like it'll be spent in the subtropical climate of Tel Aviv (try 31 C 75% humidity, that's summer for you, almost like Bangkok). The world needs more of this.

[xoe]

First impression: Fresh and rainy and minty and decidedly japanese.

[fragrantgrasse]

I got this as a feebie from the lab - I never would have thought of Neo Tokyo on my own, nor would I have imagined that I would like this - but I do!

 

Neo Tokyo smells like CLEAN in a bottle. It is light and fresh, but with a fleeting evanessence about it....does not linger long. I also like that it did not turn soapy on me, I like CLEAN, I don't like soapy.

 

And I echo what Laurel-the-Woodfairy said, it is much more LOST IN TRANSLATION and Scarlett Johannssen than what I initially thought which was: BLADE RUNNER! This is so not Sean Young! Capisce?

So don't ask me why I thought Blade Runner maybe it's the name.....

 

I like Neo Tokyo and will use the Imp up, but the jury is still out about a 5 ml. size

 

 

 

 

 

ETA: spelling

Edited September 8, 2004 by fragrantgrasse

[Shollin]

First sniff: Very interesting! Neo-Tokyo is a pale, clean scent with a slight hint of citrus, yet somehow carries an undertone of smoke.

 

Wearing: It’s greener on me than in the vial, and a bit more firm. The predominant scent on my left wrist is bamboo – for any Lush fans who miss their Bamboo soap, this is very reminiscent. There’s a lovely sweetness floating over the top of the green. This scent is the very early days of spring, when it’s still chilly but the trees are just beginning to bud.

[pkwench]

Neo-Tokyo

 

Before I can even whiff it, I'm just tickled pink and excited. This is the one I most wanted to try in the imps that came.

 

Vial: A very soft floral. Light and airy. *prays body chemestry does not turn it into a soapy flora*

 

Wet: It smells white, subtle. A little mournful, but in that purely beautiful way.

 

After 10: Floral, but not a soapy one. It's still very soft. I'm waiting for the ozone. WUHAHAH.

 

After 20: A light floral still. Mostly cherry blossom, I think. There's a cool, fresh air to it, that I think must be the ozone. It smells very peaceful, a little lonely, a little mournful, but still very lovely. I dislike the way a lot of florals have turned on me, so this is quite nice. Beautiful!

 

Edited to add that it gets more and more lovely with each passing minute. This one goes right on the big bottle list. *swoooooooon!*

Edited September 14, 2004 by pkwench

[autumn24]

It is a bright, bright scent, like hot pink neon and red and bright yellow with cherry blossoms swaying in a clear wind. An orchid rides in your hair, as you eat juicy fistfuls of fuji apple and persimmon.

[darkling]

Wet: A tang of ozone and electricity like a lightning-strike.

 

Dry: A bizarre, light tinge of fruit-bearing flowers and metal. The best way I can describe this scent is as a synthetic flower. Not artifical, but a flower with a metallic stem growing out of the city pavement.

[Larila]

Neo-Tokyo from wanderlust, I got this oil as a freebie from the lab. I initially wouldn't have tried it. This is a beautiful delicate airy elegrant scent.

 

Moving on,first going on I smelt the orchid and bamboo and a fruit, now bear in mind this is the wet version and it rocked then, so beautiful!

 

It's gets better! drying down was awesome,

the plethora of scents was all combining forces,the orchid,bamboo and a fruit I can't tell what fruit it was, along with that, I could smell the cherry blossom.

 

I got a light airy a sweetness but not overly sweet, yes the orchid was a bit more pronounced and yet you could smell the other notes as well.

 

One cannot say enough about this scent , I have to get a 2 10ml bottles! It's so hypnotic and it last a while,over ten hours and that's a plus by it being a light scent.

[Reinaluna]

Neo-Tokyo is a pretty blend. To me it is another one of those just got out of the shower fragrances. I can smell a faint spicy sweetness in the drydown. I dont know about a bottle just yet but I will gladly use up this imp also.

[Splendid Molerat]

In Neo-Tokyo I get the cool floral and almost-citrus fruits. I can taste the ozone at the back of my mouth, like standing under an awning while the rain clears the sidewalks.

 

I found the fragrance lingering well into the afternoon, which was a lovely and calming gift considering the tit-caught-in-a-wringer day I was having. Like a gentle reminder that I could go home to a hot bath at the end of it all.

[Koumori]

I think I was expecting something with a little more edge to it, based on the description. This is a neat, zingy green floral in the vial. Once on, it quickly mellows and fades into a light green floral, losing the sharpness I get from it wet. Very little staying power on me, as well; a quick fade. Not a keeper for me.

[Red_Hot_Mama]

You all are going to laugh at me.

 

Based on the reviews here, I emptied an entire Imp of Neo-Tokyo all over myself this morning. I have never done that, not with BPAL, it's just too concentrated.

 

Boy oh boy, did I "waft" fragrance. It smelled really bright & clean to me but like a little girl who has been naughty & poured too much of her Mommie's perfume on herself.

 

I definitely overdid it: like eating too many cashews. You love them but if you eat too many they make me sick.

 

I have another Imp I'll try much more sparingly.

 

RHM

[Dianella]

I just had to try this one, based on my fascination with Japanese culture and my overwhelming desire to visit (some day!) Tokyo.

 

In the vial: THis smelled really fresh and clean. I think it's the bamboo?

 

Wet: The bamboo hits my skin and just blooms. It's a really lovely fresh scent. I'm liking this.

 

Initial dry: Hmm, we're going floral. This was not exactly what I was hoping for with this perfume.

 

Dry: Just smells like...flowers. Sigh. They don't smell bad, but where did the lovely complexityt that was initally there go? I wish my skin didn't amplify the floral notes so. Stupid chemistry. That said, I'll probably use up the imp I have, but I don't that it'd bea repurchase for me, unless I fall madly in love with the flowers.

[inkstone]

Mmm, I'm very excited about this scent.

 

In the Vial

Upon first whiff, it's light and breezy. I get a whiff of the urban metallics and ozone. It's a very clean scent. It reminds me vaguely of Kyoto Osaka airport. The first time I walked into that airport, I thought it was very very clean, even moreso than Tokyo Narita. I can definitely feel the anime wonderland in this scent though. It reminds me more of CLAMP manga though than say, Akira or Bubblegum Crisis.

 

Wet

The metallics and ozone are coming out more strongly now. It's actually wafting from me. Did I put on too much? Something else is coming out too. I think it's the bamboo, and I'm getting hints of the cherry blossom. It's very airy and fresh, though it makes me slightly cold. I think I'm going to like this.

 

Drydown

Thankfully the wafting has stopped. It's lingering close to my skin now. The metallic scent is fading. The ozone is lingering, but the cherry blossoms are really coming out. There are other florals adding to that scent, adding more body. I can also smell the fruit now; it's adding a sweetness. I'm craving a Fuji apple right now.

 

Final Thoughts

This scent feels distinctly Asian to me, particularly Japanese. I feel the traditional culture mixing with the urban modernization. I'm really getting a strong identification with CLAMP because of the cherry blossoms. In my head, I can see cherry blossoms streaming down past a gleaming skyscraper... right before the glass shatters because of battling anime characters. Very interesting. It does go on cold, but that helped in waking me up this morning. This is a very good blend to wear to work -- not too sweet, not too floral, not too strong, not too heavy. It's there and makes its presence known, but it's not obstrusive. There could be a bottle of this in my future.