Shirafuji Genta With a Kappa

[windbourne]

SHIRAFUJI GENTA WITH A KAPPA
Lansium domesticum, sweetgrass, benzoin, white mint, lavender, juniper berry, cedarwood, osmanthus, and rice wine.

When I open the bottle, it smells of lavender and a slight grassiness, with a little floral underneath. On my skin, it's almost entirely lavender and juniper berry, fading down to a slightly sweetened cedar. I hope that someone else will review this who doesn't amp lavender beyond almost everything else, but that's most of what I get.

*shrug* You win some, you lose some. If you like lavender and enjoy juniper, don't mind cedar and perhaps delight in benzoin -- this one's all for you, baby.

Decent wear length, throws lavender across the room if you're me.

[mymymai]

Wet: I notice the Juniper berries, hints of lavender, with and undercurrent of the rice wine.

Dry: The Juniper berries fade to let the lavender and ceder/benzoin dominate as the primary and secondary notes. I really enjoy this scent, but then again, I love the more woodsy scents.

Edited April 10, 2010 by mymymai

[fairnymph]

Lansium is citrusy asian fruit, FYI. The most promising smelling of the con bunch. Fresh, herbal, woodsy, bright - with definite osmanthus, sake, sweet grass, dry exotic cedar (as in Carp Steamer), honeyed benzoin and a citrusy note like a more tart and bitter white grapefruit - below an herbal layer that's stronger, made up of lavender and juniper primarily and a little mint, too. All accounted for. It's a bit of a jumble but quite pleasant.

 

Much more of that citrusy fruit, very bright and tart, and a lot more sweet white mint - this is even fresher on my skin. The sweetgrass is brighter too, grassier, more vibrant, and the lavender and juniper berry are softer and have receded a little. The sake is quite strong as it usually is on my skin, and this blend is reminding me of Manners Among Men and Women and Lantern Ghost - same note. The osmanthus here reminds me a lot of chrysanthemum, it's a similar sort of floral note that's slightly herbal, very unisex, a little tea-like with piney and citrusy overtones. The lavender note is the same as in TKO, and combined with the now-sweeter benzoin, I get a bit of resemblance to that blend - unfortunately for me. The cedarwood, definitely the same note from Carp Steamer, like there adds a dry, exotic warmth and richness that contrasts clearly with the bright, cool, fresh notes - but as there, it works here. This is not the pencil shavings of doom cedar note.

 

Melding, softening, evolving very nicely! It has faded a little, so this might be a slatherer especially since the throw isn't strong even at first, but the citrusy fruit is holding very well, and it along with the mint, juniper, sake and amped but not morphed cedar are the major players in this blend. Sake is a note that's a bit astringent and sharply alcoholic at first but after a little while softens into a fresh, crisp, vaguely musky and aquatic sort of cologne note. The osmanthus has amped almost to the level of the aforementioned notes, and it's a little sharp, but still within pleasant limits, and reminds me a lot of the note in Itaso - yet another blend this scent reminds me of. Sweet grass holds well, again, also quite strongly and just behind osmanthus.The lavender has faded further, which is good, and the benzoin holds - a sweet honeyed note that's quite deep and definitely resinous, but rather subtle and definitely a background note here. This is a unisex blend that leans heavily towards masculine, and I do wish it were a bit more feminine.

 

The final drydown after a few hours is surprisingly woody, woodsy, and resinous on me. The juniper and cedar (which does just go TOO dry and warm without the other fresh notes remaining to balance it - still, it's a nice cedar note and I usually abhor cedar) dominate in the end, and not too far below is a blend of sake, benzoin, and now much drier and more hay-like sweetgrass, and then faintly in the distance are the grapefruity lansium, lavender, mint and osmanthus. In short, the unisex to feminine notes faded greatly and the masculine ones amped or held, so this turns much to masculine and dry and woodsy for my tastes - still, a very nice blend, well-crafted, and by far the nicest of the Sakura-con exclusives IMO. Great throw and longevity, too.

 

I'm really sad none of these work on me, but I'll save my Shirafuji for future menfolk.

 

[edenssixthday]

Shirafuji Genta With a Kappa - This definitely has a strong Asian feel to it. It's predominantly a dry, blonde wood scent with the sweet powderiness of ricer and the crisp bite of juniper berry. I don't smell the lavender at all, which surprises me since I can usually smell lavender from a mile away (and I don't like it at all). There's a soft sweetness about this scent, and even though it's a dry wood scent, it's not as dry and reminiscent of pencil shavings as most cedar scents tend to be. I do like it, but considering my typical scent preferences, I'm not sure if I'd reach for this very often. .

[lavender84]

The rice wine and/or white mint (I'm guessing so I could be wrong) in this blend seems to like me but I'm unable to feel the same as its giving me a bit of a headache. With what little else I can smell, seems gentle and pretty but alas, that lingers for a short while in the background and then disappears.

 

So I won't be able to describe it with more justice.

 

Still, I'm glad I got to try it.

Edited April 12, 2010 by ScentedDreams

[papermaker]

This starts as citrus, lavender, and juniper berry. As it dries it becomes more lavender and juniper berry with what I assume is the sweetgrass. once dry it is Osmanthus and the rice wine acting as a softner to the cedar. There is still a touch of sweetgrass too.

[zankoku_zen]

I get citrus, lavender and juniper berry, and as it dries, the rice wine and the cedar. It smells like a green citrusy cedar note, which unfortunately just smells kinda chemically and fake to me.

 

Pass.

[tartchef]

I adore osmanthus, & was delighted to try this... It starts as a wonderful blend of Manners Among Men & Women & Tamamo-no-mae, with a snap of citrus & lavender...

 

Wet, the citrus element is a bit overwhelming, a bit needly & egged on by the juniper. Given a few minutes to warm up, though, & that sharpness fades, making way for a big slosh of rice wine It's delicately perfumed by the leafy mint & lovely, almost peach-y osmanthus. The cedar & benzoin are adding just a bit of fullness, & the herbs are lurking in the middle, slowly taking over.

 

The end result is a fast-changing scent, going from citrus to heady rice wine to an interesting muddle of menthol-y herbs underscored by cedar & sweet benzoin. Not as promising now as it was in the early stages, but worth hanging onto to see if the individual elements meld a bit, & if the rice wine ages as beautifully as it has in Manners...

[mimosa]

Wet-lavender and something green

Skin-still green lavender plus juniper, smells sharp and green. Very well blended, soon it is hard to pick out specific notes, maybe a little mint in there too.

I like this, a sharp bright blend perfect for summer.

[crebbsgirl]

Citrus and lavender with a tinge of sweetness. There is also a hint of green, and the juniper lends an almost aquatic vibe. Clean smelling and a little fresh.

[countessmouse]

Minty citrus candy. That is all I'm getting on this one.

 

Disappointing, really, because it has a great throw.

[Little Bird]

First on, I get something like tart grapefruit and herbal lavender with a touch of sweet mint. It's very clean and spa-like. As it dries down, this starts to smell more green (the juniper?) and the cedar amps up. It's like dry wood and tart, perfumey citrus with a cool, green edge from the juniper and mint. I like it more initially; something about the drydown is a bit too tart and perfumey for me.

[grrrlennyl]

Shirafuji Genta with a Kappa

 

On: Gorgeous. Citrus, sweet alcohol, juniper, and a bit of wood. I hope the cedar doesn't amp up on me.

Half an hour in: A dry, sweet, grassy scent.

1.5 hours in: Still the same.

2.5 hours in: Still the same. This is amazingly consistent after it dries.

6 hours in: Gone.

Overall: I'm surprised how difference this is wet than dry. I'm glad the cedar doesn't go all pickly wood on me, but I don't think I'd wear it for the sweetgrass note often.

[gchris]

Sharp juniper. Wet, still juniper with lavender coming in second. Slowly I'm getting other notes like the rice wine. This is very cool, wintry and herbal with all of the notes coming through except osmanthus. I don't really smell the osmanthus.

 

Now this is so smooth. Where before I felt as if each note were assaulting my olfactory senses, now everything has blended beautifully and is softer but still plenty of throw. I think I am finally getting a whisper of osmanthus but not enough to suit me for I love osmanthus.

 

I started out not liking this. I am not a fan of the rice wine note or of lavender, but I find that I keep sniffing my wrist. This has morphed into something so lovely and interesting.

[JazzieCazzie]

For some strange reason I had this on my wish list ... pretty high, in fact. I think it had been late at night and when I made note of the notes I left some out. So, like, I had lavender and benzoin but left out the mint and sweetgrass and rice wine and mahogany. And Asian fruit.

 

IN THE IMP: Crisp and clean with a slight fruity/minty note.

 

Dabbed on one wrist and in my arm.

 

WET: Very springy and outdoorsy with floral that seems to get stronger bit by bit.

 

DRYDOWN: ... and bit by bit by bit by bit until it has taken over as a hugely floral and minty and old-lady perfumey cloud around me. Just very very unpleasantly cloying and old lady on me.

 

OVERALL: This is so not for me. And the worst part was I had to go for a mammogram with no time to shower and I was very apologetic to the lovely technician because I didn't want her to think I always smelled like a stinky old lady with powdery perfume when I came there. But I think she forgave me.

 

Oh well. Win some, lose some.

 

On a scale of 1-5, a 1.

[VetchVesper]

Without reading the notes I'm getting ginger, white musk, and maybe sake? It's got a bit of air/fresh watery feel.  

 

Huh.  Looking at the notes, I guess I'm reading the Lansium domesticum as gingerish. And yay! Sake!  This does smell very fresh, though it's not quite green. It's reminiscent of lighter cucumber scents, but has its own unique vibe too.  I think the mint is becoming more obvious in dry down, but that might be just because I know it's a listed note now.  This is really nice.  Very understated, cool, and refreshing.  I'd love to have more of this for summer, or maybe as a bath oil. Thanks to the lovely decanter who sent me a sniffie.  ❤️