Kyoto

[amanderinorange]

A gentle, soothing blend of cherry blossom, white sandalwood and star anise.

Yay! I received this as a frimp which is awesome as I had this on my to-try list.

In the imp: light and slightly floral.

On me: uhm, this is starting to smell like a toilet bowl cleaner on me. Luckily, a few minutes later and it starts to smell like cherry blossoms and sandalwood.

Overall: I think I'm going to have to try this a few more times, but I'm thinking that this will be a bottle purchase.

Thanks Lab! Edited September 7, 2009 by Shollin

[liquidtrance]

In bottle, SUPER cherry.

-- WAH splattered all over hand while opening. First sniff… Sharp, almost sneeze inducing… not quite floral.. But.. Ehhh. Not pinesol or lemony cleaner, not orange, but the same citrus (but not) note. Blehhh. Sloooowly calming down. Gets a little bit smoother. Eventually a little bit of cherry or orange peeps out. Much less sharp and angry. A little smooth, with a touch of edge.

Full dry- much smoother.

[angelicruin]

Inside the imp, I'm picking up the star anise (licorice) and cherry blossom

 

Wet on my skin, initially licorice and cherry blossom. As it dries, goes much more floral. I'm almost getting an orange blossom note on my skin.

 

Dry it's mainly sandalwood and floral.

 

[tajana]

Kyoto in the imp smells vague and floral. On the skin, it's an explosion of licorice! I don't like the taste of black licorice, and I don't particularly like the smell of star anise. I expected a cherry note based on some of the other reviews but that's not so on The anise tones itself down to let the sandalwood poke through, and then the cherry blossom. I love cherry blossoms, but this licorice flavored edition just isn't doing it for me. The sandalwood and cherry blossom duo is pleasant but demure... it would be soapy, were it not for the strong twist of star anise. The licorice, by the way, is the only note that seems to have any throw on me. The licoricey anise tones itself down very gradually over time until nothing remains unless I huff my wrist to get a ghost of pretty cherry blossoms underscored by pale sandalwood.

[tartchef]

I was frimped this in a recent swap, and admit, it was one I would never have tried otherwise... but golly, I think I love this! I must have a remarkably well-behaved imp (it looks Lab-fresh, or near to it), because even wet, all three notes balance beautifully. The sakura is perfect - sweetly pink & petal-y without going soapy. The star anise is spot-on - licorice-esque, yes, but with a smooth, lacquered sheen & a hint of spice beneath. White sandalwood can go needle-sharp on me, but here it just adds a bit of soft warmth & depth, like a perfect little pyramid of incense ash.

 

Delightful! I suspect Kyoto would be a bit sensitive to chemistry shifts throughout the month, prone to a bit of soapiness, maybe, but I really want to try this when the weather goes stinking hot again, just to see how it fares. It's not something I can see reaching for often, but there's something delicately compelling about Kyoto...

[pseedie]

~~kyoto~~

 

i love anise. i think it's a mighty underutilized note, so when someone included kyoto as a frimp, I was hugely hopeful...and when I opened the imp and sniffed I was STILL hugely hopeful.

Then i put it on.

 

poopie. star anise ran away with the wind and all that stayed with me was cherry blossoms and white sandalwood. I amp sandalwood, so now i just smell like those little tiny cheapo balloons that you buy as a kid to make water balloons out of and just about every other one busts around the neck as you're sliding it on or taking it off the water spigot

.....sigh.....

 

back to the anise drawing board for me.......

[Leopard403]

I was hoping this would have the cherry-almond smell of Jergen's lotion. (Don't laugh; it's a classic and it's delicious. ) But that darned anise gives this a slightly medicinal smell to me, sort of sharp and plasticky. Bummer.

[Coldfire]

 

 

 

 

 

Imp: crisp tart sandalwood

Wet on me: I get the sandalwood, and the licorice vibe of the star anise

Drying Down: mostly licorice now.

Dry: I get the anise/licorice. It’s okay..but it’s not the jelly bead I reach for in my easter basket.

 

[March]

One big part of my enjoyment of BPAL is testing different scents with only one note in common and figuring out what exactly that one note smells like. Kyoto told me 'so *that* is anise!' because of its overlap with Absinthe.

 

Sadly, though, it's probably not for me. My hypersensitivity to scents that 'stick in your nose' strikes again!

 

The drydown is pretty nice, but I'm not sure if it's worth the wait in getting there.

[Aldercy]

This is the cherry note found in classic Jergen's lotion. Which is a little too sweet for me, but I love the anise in here. It's so shiny black and otherworldly, and definitely dominates on the dry-down. The scent of anise always seems to me to have the textural consistency of mercury-- a sort of eerie liquidity. Always shifting.

 

Overall, Kyoto is kind of like sugar-speckled liquorice gummy candy with cherry blossoms on the side. I wish it were a little less syrupy, but I'll still use this for the significant anise note.

 

It's Kabuki's girlier kid sister. So if you find the latter too strong, this is an almost exact "soft" version of it.

[ephemera]

This is… weird. That's a good word for it. Odd, too. I've not tried anything with star anise before, but I went into this not expecting too much, since I don't care for licorice. I wanted to give this a shot though, because it just sounded so unusual. In the vial this is lightly sweet and tangy, but on my skin this is like star anise and cherry blossom had a mad affair together and kicked sandalwood out of the house in order to get loud without embarassing anyone. Instead of the usual layering of scents, I swear this scent exists on a pendulum. One huff bring licorice, the next cherry blossoms. I can't quite decide how I feel about this, but damned if it isn't weird. *grin*

[Bamels]

I was after a scent similar to Lush's Sakura (even though I have the solid perfume of this, haha!) In the imp it smells it smells cheery and mouthwatering. I can smell the star anise straight away. This is unlike any others I have tried before and I'm really looking forward to it. When on I am amping the star anise and can't smell anything else. When dry it smells floral, which on me smells like floral soap How dissapointing. It smells so good in the bottle though, I may just keep it to sniff.

 

Verdict: Floral soap on me, but will keep to sniff from the imp!

[crebbsgirl]

The anise is a definite standout here. The sandalwood grounds this blend, while the cherry blossoms sort of float through the scent. Its light, and nice, but I can't see myself wearing it very often. A little girlish for me.

[superpopkid]

Standard new-at-this disclaimer goes here. This is the only oil I've tried so far that actually smelled good to me in the imp - sweet, cool and herbal. Wet, it's a slightly medicinal herbal. I think it must be the mix of anise and sandalwood, but although I know and like the smells of them individually I can't pick them out here. This stage lasts for about an hour and then the herbals are pretty much gone. There's a sweet, clean aura in the background that comes to the forefront for the next few hours. This must be the cherry, but it's a whisper of cherry rather than a shout. I've never smelled cherry blossoms, but I imagine this must be it, like the smell of swedish fish without the cloying candy. I never got the straight-up licorice I was hoping for from the anise, but I still enjoyed this scent a lot. It's cheerful, feminine and fresh but still grown up and subtle. I feel like this belongs on a content woman reading the paper in her pin-neat minimalist kitchen, the kind of person who always has a fresh flower in a bud vase on the table. For colors, I'm getting a soft gray, antique pink and white. Overall: delicate, calming and fresh with a light throw. Nice!

Edited September 4, 2009 by VitaminA

[DaniFae]

In the Imp: Sort of floral with the anis in the background, didn't pick up the sandalwood at all

 

On wet: a sharp floral came to the top, very strong.

 

Dry: I was hoping the floral would die down, no such luck smelled like the cheap bath sets I used to get at Christmas as a kid.

 

Verdict, not for me too floral and sharp, kind of made me want to sneeze, I'm thinking that cherry blossom doesn't like me. It was one of my gamble scents I picked up, and it just didn't work out.

[obsidienne]

This turns into anise-cherry cough syrup on me. I have an older imp and a newer, and the newer is a little less cough syrupy... but neither work for me. How anise, cherry blossom & sandalwood = cherries is beyond me!

[Calligrafiti]

Imp: Mmmm, a bright floral--I guess that's the combination of star anise and cherry blossom.

 

Wet: Hmmmm. The sandalwood is coming out a bit now.

 

Dry: Ewwww. Does soap go bad? If so, it probably smells like this when it does. Definitely not for me.

[Diva Urd]

Vial: Smells kinda familiar... Robitussin cherry flavored cough syrup?

 

On: At first, it stays loud cherry cough syrup, but as it dries, the cherry blossom and star anise stop fighting and manage to coexist. The resulting scent is ever-so-slightly licorice-y and fruity without either note being fully in the foreground. It doesn't have a lot of throw, though, and I'm not sure how long it's going to last...

 

Later: It's still there, but it smells sort of dusty-generic. Apparently, in this combination, sandalwood might actually not be my friend. It's also still very close to the skin, while I prefer scents with more throw. I'll keep the imp for trying around, but no bottle for me at the moment.

[Invidiana]

Ooo, this is like sweet and sexy licorice; the cherry bossom sweetens up the anise and the sandalwood gives it a come-hither feel. Makes me think of Memoirs of a Geisha.

[fairestrocza]

In the Imp: light cherry with a bit of anise

 

Wet on Skin: spicier than in the imp, light cherry and light anise, very nice blend; stronger gorgeous cherry in elbows

 

While Drying: elbows start picking up more of the anise - really gorgeous, neither the cherry nor the anise is overpowering

 

After a Little While: not very much morphing, just a constant interplay between the cherry blossom and the anise; more cherry on wrists, more anise in elbows

 

Later: quick fade. Must slather when I have a bottle. Still faintly there. More flowery toward the end - anise drops off significantly

 

Final Thoughts: sandalwood can sometimes be problematic for me, but here it is very non-intrusive; fairly low throw… I should get a bottle and try slathering.

Kyoto earns a 4 to 4.5/5 on my skin (would be straight up 4.5/5 if it lasted longer).

[Ajila]

In the bottle - Sharp sandalwood

 

Wet on me - The star anise begins to come through, as well as something quite stong and quite chemically green

 

Dry on me - A soft, gentle sandalwood scent

 

Overall - Not unpleasent, but not for me

[Finch]

This is mainly sandalwood and anise on me which is very pretty and simple. This would make a perfect layering scent.

[CitizenBree]

I received this in a lot so it's not any scents that I would seek out to try. The star anise was the first thing to come out of my skin, and really strong. One hour later, and it was all sandalwood. Two hours later, the floral finally starts to come out. Even later, it goes back to sandalwood! I am still a bit new but this was one scent that really changed up the most throughout the day.

 

I liked the scent enough to wear it but since I'm not sold on any of these notes, I'll pass on buying more.

[Djaeno]

I purchased my imp from a forum member, so I don't know how old it is and how that affects the smell.

 

In imp: Definitely cherry right off the bat. But unlike Queen of Hearts (the only other cherry scent I've tried), this smells more subtle. It's less sugary-sweet, and I can smell the star anise like a light licorice behind it. Reminds me of cherry licorice, but without the sugary, candy smell.

 

Wet: Now it's primarily star anise with a background of cherry. The sandalwood makes it smell "clear" and not cloying or overpowering. It seems really nicely balanced between the cherry, anise, and sandalwood -- they all work together in the right way.

 

Dry: It is definitely cherry blossom, not the rich ripe cherry fruit I got in Queen of Hearts. It's subtle and sweet, a nice light fragrance for me: it makes me think of smelling cherry blossoms on the wind a block away from the tree. Definitely a keeper for me! I love the combination of floral and wood.

Edited March 26, 2010 by Djaeno

[impolight]

:::KYOTO:::

 

This is a crazy sort of fragrance, one of the very first that made all of the notes effortlessly accessible at once...

The Cherry Blossom very much like the note in a yummy cigar, the Sandalwood a classic shaving Fragrance, and the Star Anise very much the exotic form of Licorice found in the better 5-Spice powders...

This stuff is supremely wow!

Kyoto could be the calling-card of a sexy assassin.

A dark and unpredictably dangerous fragrance.

Kyoto has the characteristic of a leather, high-heeled boot, the whisper of a cruelly sharp blade, and a masterfully crafted poison.

Kyoto has the allure of an exotic elsewhere.

Kyoto is a shady sort of seduction.

A terminally yummy fragrance for her.

4/5.