Harikata

[abejita]

Osmanthus, honey, golden musk, vanilla flower, and ginger.

 

In the bottle: Musk and osmanthus. Very flower/musk. Hmmm. Not a huge floral fan, so this isn't promising.
Wet: Flowery flowers. Dammit. It's all osmanthus at this point. Damn its apricotty fruity flowery self. I was hoping for a honey-musk-vanilla-spice kind of thing. But this is all floral, all the time. I think that osmanthus just does not appeal to me. It seems to overtake a blend, unless there are a lot of other bold notes (like Dark Delicacies). I can tell now that it's why I didn't care for Itasô Kansei Nenkan Jorô No Fûzoku and Shoggoth.
Dry: Fruity, floral. There is some honey here. The osmanthus is finally mellowing and I like the blend a whole lot more. It ends up smelling like a very mild apricot/peach blend with a bare hint of gold musk. I don't dislike it the way I did wet, but I don't think I will hold onto it.

[Nightgaunt]

I've always loved the Japanese salon scents best--they have an understated elegance about them.

In Harikata (is this the Japanese word for "strap-on dildo?") this elegance is levened by a sense of play and flirtation. The osmanthus , honey and vanilla gives it warmth and richness, the ginger gives it spark. It smell opulant, exotic, and very, very sensual. Good stuff.

[Beatrice33]

This is a lovely honied, fruity floral. It's happy and flirty. It may be too floral for me, but I'm going to give it another try before deciding. Those of you who love sweet, fruity florals, though, I would definitely recommend this.

 

ETA: I'm relearning the importance of testing things more than once. Today I'm really liking this. I get more honey and maybe musk, so the florals are toned down a bit, and I'm not getting anything too fruity today. It's still probably not an everyday scent for me, but I can see craving this when I want to feel playful and flirty. I don't really have anything like this in my collection, so I think it might stay. And I love the idea of having this art on my dresser, so yeah, I think this might be a keeper.

Edited February 1, 2008 by Beatrice33

[Heavenlyrabbit]

The ginger barely makes an appearance which is good news for me cause it usually amps.

 

The sweetness of the Osmanthus and Honey go well together. A definitive "Skin Scent".

 

The Japanese version of "O".

 

There is a floral touch, but it doesn't overwhelm.

[thecaitycat]

In the bottle: Oof, I can't tell what the most dominant note here is! The smells like honey and flowers and is almost melony (!?). But in a good way.

 

Wet on skin: Much less floral now, and more vanilla and honey with a floral tinge. I can also detect some ginger if I concentrate.

 

Dry on skin: My skin is really amping up the honey and osmanthus, and the combination of the two is just lovely. It also has GREAT throw.

 

Verdict: This is going in my top 10! I washed the dishes and got my arms all wet, and I can still smell this very strongly on my wrists. This is definitely something to dab on, not slather, as it's very strong on me.

[fountaingrl]

I'm on the fence on this one. Part of me LOVES!! it, part of me..... not so much.

 

In the bottle this smells like what everyone else describes that O does for them -- it is sweet but smooth and glowing and YUM. Then it hits my skin.

 

There's (at least on me) an immediate tang that is veeeeeery musky, but very soft. I cannot decide if I love that or if it is ick. And I normally like musk, but the other notes in this are amazing but *sweet*. I get a soft, honeyed, slightly powdery (almost like a rice powder clean, a cool-warm silky clean smell). Then, underneath it, this very soft but strong musk.

 

Ok, I know! The scent is reminding me of Kama Sutra's "honey dust," how there is that cornstarch base scent, the powderyness of it, then the honey? That.

 

I'll give it this. The blend is so complex I can't stop smelling myself. When that happens, it usually means that if I test it a few more times my nose will acclimate and I will end up loving it. (I have learned with some of the unusual bpal, like with some challenging music, you have to get past the "this is odd!" reaction of the first few times to really appreciate it).

[slave1]

HARIKATA

 

In Bottle: Honey musk

 

On Skin: Another drop dead sexy scent. I am so happy I ordered a bottle of this unsniffed. The honey is sweet and sticky, my favorite note in the world. The osmanthus is a delicate floral note and it gives this scent a beautiful feminine touch. The golden musk amps the obvious golden tone of this scent. The vanilla flower is light and compliments the honey well and gives a creamy feel. The ginger does eventually come out and it is the only part of the scent I don’t like, because it isn’t really spicy (like Shub spice), but much more a true ginger which goes kind of funky on me. Over all I love the scent… and especially after the floral side fades a bit. It reminds me of a more innocent and girly version of O. Whereas O is pure sexy sexiness on me, Harikata is a more refined feminine version. Strong throw and medium wearlength.

[edenssixthday]

Harikata - When I first apply this, it smells warm and sticky-sweet in a floral kind of way. However, honey is a death note on me and within seconds, the honey starts to overwhelm all of the other notes until all that is left is a musky honey scent on my skin. It's actually not as "deadly" as honey tends to be on me, but it's still not going to work on my skin. It's just a bit too sweet and cloying for my taste. I am kind of surprised there's no myrrh in this blend - perhaps that's actually the ginger I'm smelling. If so, it's ultra-faint behind the honey-musk scent. Even though it doesn't share most of the same notes, this reminds me a LOT of Bilquis from the Neil Gaiman line of blends. While this isn't for me, I think it's a must-try for honey lovers.

[hkhm]

bottle: ginger and honey and musk.

 

wet: this is super sweet... something... it's like i can't place my finger on what this smells like exactly... except it's very sweet and it's very sexy.

 

dry: there is almost a faint aquatic note here swirling aound the honeyed sex. this is utterly gorgeous!

[tartchef]

Oh huzzah - more florals I can wear! Abejita describes the osmanthus really well - it's like apricots & white blossoms, fresh & clean & lovely. Harikata is much lighter, more innocent than I'd expected - the honey & musk are background players, not the dominant notes, adding a golden glow behind the osmanthus & what must be vanilla flower, another sweet white floral note... The ginger is barely noticable, just a bit of zing at the edges.

 

This is so pretty & fresh & lovely... not exactly capturing the lable art ( ) but absolutely beautiful. Dare I say it... it'd be a perfect scent for a spring bride...

[dawndie]

Wet: light musk

 

On skin: watery white flowers

 

Half-hour later: the honey and ginger have warmed up, but the florals are still so strong it's seeming a teeny bit soapy

 

In conclusion: this is another nice honey blend, and it would be ideal on me except for the osmanthus and vanilla flower which veers in and out of soapiness. I'll stick with O for my honey fix.

[Honeygirl]

Bottle: Ginger and musk

 

Wet: Unfortunately I'm already amping the florals! I so badly wanted this to be ginger, vanilla and musk. I can definitely smell those three things, but in the background.

 

Drydown: *Pouts* this is still all floral on me, and one that doesn't work. It smells very nice in the bottle, so I might try it again in a scent locket.

3.0 outta 5

[alicia_stardust]

HARIKATA

 

Harikata is a gorgeous cousin to "O". It has a softer, more golden musk that remains very feminine and light amidst the honey and vanilla flower. I find that the osmanthus doesn't overwhelm here and the overall mood of the blend tends toward a sweet, golden, honey skin scent. The ginger is fresh and complimentary and I find that it adds a nice touch of zing. It is a light and sweet ginger.

 

This is a must try!

[miss_rynn]

In the bottle this is a delicate, sweet, slightly fruity scent. I can get why people have suggested it as 'melony' in the bottle. Alas, there are not distinct honey or ginger notes, which is what I was really hoping for.

 

On the skin, this becomes very much like the Brides of Dracula did for me - which is unfortunately a soapy kind of lily smell.

 

I had high hopes for this, and while I think it would work beautifully on some people, it just doesn't seem like it will work on me. Boo.

[AEris]

This scent is bright, powdery, fruity honey-musk. Wet, there is a flash of green freshness, but it burns off and the scent warms up. This is the first time I've tried osmanthus, which as I read, is supposed to smell like apricots.

 

It's not bad, but I'm not drawn to it, for whatever reason. Honey and apricots, it sounds delectable. I'm sure it will smell perfect on someone else.

 

3.2 out of 5

[LittleGreyKitten]

Huh. I know I did intend to order this, but why I'm not recalling. Now that I re-read the notes, I realize it has osmanthus in it, my worst floral enemy. Did I think I was ordering a different blend? Did I go mad for a few minutes? Really, I just don't know. Perchance the lure of vanilla flower, honey and ginger were too much and I overlooked the osmanthusness of it all.

 

Anyway, it actually smells better on me than I would have thought. Osmanthus normally turns to "rancid old-lady perfume" on me. Not so good. Luckily it doesn't do that in this blend, amazingly enough. It is a close to the skin honeyed quiet floral on me, with a whisper of soft ginger wafting over it all. It does have that particular sort of quiet well-balanced thing going on that a lot of the Japanese salons have, and I enjoy that a lot. I'll definitely try one or two more of them, since this should have been terrible on me and was actually pretty nice.

 

I'd give it a 3 out of 5, it's pretty but not so me.

[ymmat]

I really liked this in the vial. It was light, slightly citrus and flower, but with a lovely sweet feel. On, I smell like the florists - the overwhelming smell of flowers and greenery when you walk in the door.

[tarotgirl99]

Oh. My. Goodness.

 

Honey sweet morphs into sweet rain and then melon and then it recycles these heavenly wafts my way.

 

The description of it as "Japanese version of O." Totally agree.

 

I need a bottle. NOW.

[sookster]

straight sniff from the bottle is sweet floral honey

 

oooh! once applied this is soooo pretty! there is a fruitiness in here that i adore...

and the golden musk is perfect...i really love this and will wear it often...

[amyw]

This is going to be tough to review, just because I have so much to say about it. I've had it on for about an hour and I'll edit if it morphs significantly from where it is now.

 

Firstly, I'm not big on florals I've tried with one exception, and that's Utrennyaya. In the throw, which is pretty strong considering how little I used, Harikata smells just like Utrennyaya. I didn't know why until I looked up the notes. It must be the osmanthus, and I must amp it. I didn't realize that was osmanthus until now.

 

This is also one of the oils that smells different on different parts of my body. I've got some on my wrist and some in the crook of my elbow. On my wrist it's all osmanthus, but on the inside of my elbow I can smell some of the resemblance to O people are mentioning as well as the ginger. Not at all in the throw, though.

 

I like this a lot. It's not amongst my absolute favorites and I see it more as a springtime scent than a cold weather scent, but I like it.

[akiko]

Like someone above, I was lured in by the ginger & vanilla flower & honey.

 

Bottle: floral and something sweet

 

Wet: Fruit and floral?

 

Dry: honey, floral (osmanthus). Maybe ginger & vanilla flower.

 

Not my favorite of the Shunga so far, but still nice enough.

[euterpe414]

I, too, must agree with the people stating that this is the Japanese version of O. This is a very sweet floral honey on my skin with a faint whiff of ginger. I don't get that much musk in it, but that might change once the blend ages a little. I see this scent as very golden and warm, kind of like there is a lovely fragrant halo all around me when I wear it. This is definitely a 'skin' scent, but it lasts on me for a long time even though the throw is faint. It's a really, really beautiful scent for honey lovers - those that love O and Hony Mone should definitely try it. Gorgeous! I may even need to get more than one bottle of this...

 

:D

[siddal]

Wet, this had a very pink, sweet candy frangrance on me. On the drydown it was really similar to Pink Phoenix, so I don't think I will buy this one. But if you like girly, pink scents, this one is lovely.

[pinkstardust420]

Gorgeous! There is a small hint of spicyness here at the beginning, but that quickly fades away. I'm left with a sweet (honey) vanilla floral musk. VERY pretty.

[fairnymph]

Clearly, the Shunga line was made for me. This is the 5th blend I've tried, and the 4th bottle worthy. This update is slaying me! But it's SO DIVINE! *sigh*

 

In the bottle: Sweet, fresh, slightly spicy floral. Honey and ginger and aquatic notes.

 

Wet: Wow, amazing delicious musk. The vanilla flower is really delicate and soft and floral-feminine but not foody or cloying. VERY strong on the delicious honey. The osmanthus is a touch heady, but playing nice. The ginger is a fresh-sharp note, not a dry spice.

 

Dry: Amazing throw! This is sweet and almost edible (cantaloupe?), but not quite foody. It's warm and fresh and feminine and soothing all at once. Definitely the most delicious, potent honey scent ever. All the notes blend in such perfect harmony.

 

Summary: This stays true and strong for ages. Lovely honey, musk, and floral blend with a fresh ginger note and something fruity. It's a bright, golden, and enticing scent. Intricately blended.

 

Try this if you like: Itaso Kansei Nenkan Joro No Fuzoku or Faiza, The Black Mamba.