Kyoto

[maribouquet]

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

blind review...

imp: Almond? or maybe that's cherry...
wet: Yes, definitely cherry. Reminds me of a softer Herr Drosselmeyer. Also something sort of lemony.
dry: Anise? Going a bit powdery & the cherry is gone. A little woody.

Soft and pretty, but not a favorite.

[usamimi]

In the bottle: Very sweet cherry smell, almost candy-like.

 

Wet on the skin: Sandalwood overpowered everything else, couldn't smell any star anise.

 

Dry: Still very sandalwood-y, but finally the cherry smell comes out and lingers around a bit with the anise.

 

Overall: Not bad, but it might not be for my skin. Maybe my imp was a little old (I got it in a sale).

 

(edit: tried a newer imp recently, and it was MUCH nicer! Not "OMG SANDALWOOD" like the first time. I might have to buy a larger bottle in the future.)

Edited July 26, 2007 by Usamimi

[taramarie]

In the imp and on my skin, I smelled cherries and wood. Kyoto smells a lot like The Red Queen. Unfortunately, it started to burn so I had to wash it off. I'll stick with The Red Queen.

[LadyBug]

This smells like cherry pie! I really like it because it reminds me of when I was younger and we would have family get-togethers and pot lucks! Sweet and comforting! This is a very unique scent...haven't smelled one like it...well..haven't smelled a PERFUME like it. On my skin it's a little warmer...like warm cherry pie! Not sure what star anise is supposed to smell like but I like it!

[mspixieears]

I smell something mentholated in this blend, aside from the obvious cherry blossom. As soon as it dries down it becomes much more floral, yet with a hint of spice – maybe something like ginger? Not sure if this one agrees with me so much. Like White Rabbit, this is nice from afar but up close it doesn’t smell quite right on me. About 15 minutes later it’s settled on my skin and become a fresh floral slightly reminiscent of magnolia. Will need to wait some more to see how this develops. Warrants a retest, methinks!

[Iceblink]

Arrgh. This starts out so nicely (as others have said, very Red Queen-esque), with the cherry and the wood and the yum. And then the star anise takes over and it's the prettiest cherry licorice...for about an hour. And then it's mostly an oddly musty, woody smell. Come back, anise!!

It's awesome until it gets to the woody stage, though.

[jaeyne]

In the imp, cherry. Wet , cherry that faded FAST, like in seconds and it got licoricey, almost rosewoody, and then it turned to sassafras and stayed sassafras. Good throw, and burned going on.

[Niobeeh]

On me, it smells like cherry wine and licorice. Weird mix, uh. Not bad though, so I gonna keep my imp but won't need a bottle.

[hkhm]

imp: sweet, spiced cherries. yum.

 

wet: kind of a woodsy, leafy cherry. there's a wet, spicy scent. moments later, the star anise pops into the scene. very striking blend.

 

dry: soft anise and antique woods. this has a very nice 'forgotten' feeling to it.

[lamenteuse]

in the bottle: sweet cherries and almonds. Something like a sticky dessert that I can't wait to bite into

 

on, wet:: cherries and sweetness!

 

on, dry: star anise. Which isn't a bad thing, but not something that comes to mind when I think of Japan.

 

verdict: 2 out of 5 the star anise smell isn't bad, but i really wanted cherries. something good for november instead of summer

[monsteralice]

At first it's a little sharp and all cherry. On drydown the other scents peek out and the cherry calms down. I get a sense of herbal tea from this, which must be the star anise. I don't particularly like to eat anise flavored food, but I do like the smell. This is a strong yet delicate scent - I can easily imagine it scenting folded kimonos, just waiting to be worn again.

 

The one problem with the scent is its fleeting nature. I don't think I got a full 2 hours before I had to reapply. I probably won't keep the imp because the scent disappears so fast. It's a beautiful scent though, and might last longer on you than on me.

[akiko]

Imp: cherries.

 

Wet: cherries, a little anise, and maybe sandalwood.

 

Dry: Oddly, smells like musky cherry. I like it, though.

[VioletChaos]

in the imp: very sweet cherry, like cherry candy.

 

wet on skin: cherry and sandalwood mixing evely. strange and different, but nice.

 

dry down: the cherry all but vanishes and is replaced with something that smells like suntan-lotion-coconut. that coconut-y smell mixes with the sandalwood and makes something unexpected and lovely.

 

in all: sort of sexy, but simmered down enough to be able to wear during the day and not feel like a floozy.

[Kimbernunk]

In the imp: cherry and anise - not my cup of tea per se, but nice.

 

Wet on skin: OMG staranise! It's like getting smaked in the face with a bag of black licorice candies.

 

Dry: After about an hour, the anise scent disappeared - my skin flirted ever-so-briefly with the cherry blossom before eating it, and I ended up with a soft, very light sandalwood scent which lingered for about 4 more hours.

 

On me this was very strong for the first 45 minutes or so and then faded to something with very little throw but a pleasant scent close to the skin.

 

Overall, 3/5 - I don't think I'll want a bottle, but I'll likely keep the imp.

[peachymint]

first review of my first Imp

 

in bottle: a combination of cherry and possibly the star anise? it's very warm, and i can get a good wiff just by waving it around in front of my nose

 

on skin (wet): it comes off as woody, almost like cedar wood for me, but it's nice and it reminds me of the old temple in Kyoto

 

on skin (dry): within an hour it's faded from cedar to a wonderfully light cherry blossom smell. it lingers for a long time, but it doesn't stay that strong on me, i have to almost huff my wrists just to get a wiff every now and then, but it still smells very nice

 

Overall: 4/5 for me, overall, i enjoyed the scent very much, and got extremely lucky since this was my first shot at trying BPAL. hopefully, i'll be able to obtain a full bottle soon!

[djsiberia]

absolutely love this! very delicate and delicious. i think it would be a great summer scent since it's light the cherry smell doesn't take over. second time around, it smells like soap and anise.

[ranyart]

I ordered an imp of this thinking it would probably be too light for me, but I'd love to find a blend with star anise that I can wear, plus sandalwood generally smells really nice on me, so I figured it made sense to give Kyoto a try.

 

In the imp, this has a nice star anise scent; the cherry blossom is very light and balanced somewhere between fruity cherry and that almost almondy scent that cherries have at times.

Wet: the cherry blossom is almost bubblegummy, that's how sweet it is at first. The anise is becoming more prominent, and I assume that the sandalwood will emerge as this continues to dry. Sandalwood tends to vanish when I put oils on and then pop out and surprise me as it dries down.

 

Dry/later: I feel like I'll need to put a bit more on and wear this again; I liked it, but I don't feel like I got a good sense of it tonight. The anise isn't as sharp as I'd expected, which I think was due to the cherry blossom, and the sandalwood stayed in the background. Sniffing myself a good 5-6 hours later, I smell like slightly sweet sandalwood.

 

I was afraid Kyoto would be too light and sweet for me, and while that isn't quite the case, I'm not sure this is the right anise blend for me either. I think my imp will get good use, though, even if I don't end up with a bottle.

[donnatron]

Bottle: Amaretto over maraschino cherries.

 

Wet: The cherry fades slightly, allowing the scent of anise and the dryness of sandalwood to peak through. So far so good. It's a really complex drydown. I smell something different each time I put my nose to my wrist. Or when I sniff my wrist and then sniff the crook of my arm where I also applied it. Getting sweetness and the licorice scent of the star anise is amping up.

 

Dry: Star anise is the dominant note on me. The sandalwood provides a delicate spiciness in the background and the cherry is around but not at the forefront. I bought a bottle of this unsniffed because I loved the concept and I'm glad I did. This is a spicy, sexy scent that's still light and playful enough for daytime.

 

Throw: Polite throw. You can smell it if you're in my personal space, but it's not pervasive. However, I really like this, so I'm going to have to be careful about going overboard in my application.

 

Overall: So, so good. Even though I'm wearing a boy's t-shirt and a jean skirt, I feel wonderfully feminine and pretty. I love that this scent smells suggestive of candy rather than exactly like candy, which was my fear. Love it.

[iheartbooks]

I received Kyoto as a frimp from the Lab. I wanted to like this because of the cherry blossoms, but alas, I amp the star anise and all I can smell is black licorice. I hate black licorice. I'll try it again in acouple weeks in case my chemistry is wacky at the moment, but I think Kyoto will be heading off to the swap pile.

Edited March 16, 2008 by iheartbooks

[jparrack]

Wet: Ooooh, I like this. The cherry note is lovely, almost almond-and-cherry, and the star anise is a nice strong counterpoint.

Dry: Sigh, the cherry fades within minutes and the anise lingers around with incense supporting. It fades to nothing by noon.

Verdict: I shall try it in my scent locket when the shiny pretty CD phoenix arrives, but it is a like swap.

[SarahScent44]

In the imp, there's the sweetness of the cherry blossom and the licorice-ness of the anise.

 

It rounds out on my skin - the anise gets stronger, overcoming the cherry blossoms.

 

When it dries, it's almost gone, and what's there is sandalwood. I'm so disappointed - I had really high hopes for this one.

[amnerine]

In the imp: Cherries. sharp, delicious cherries. I can't smell anything other than cherries....

 

Wet: Again, cherries, by the pound! The scent of cherries is almost overwhelming. They're good but it's a really strong note.

 

Drying: Cherry blossoms! I was afraid it'd be all cherries again, but under the cherry not there was this sudden, sweet scent of cherry blossoms so that I had this lightning flash of flowers, dark wood, and silk kimonos.

 

Dry-fade: Minty? That might be the star anise. Vague, still cherries, but mellower. Apparently I amp the cherries like no other, but the sandalwood and star anise are finally getting through, like vague ghosts. Very delicious, a bottle candidate for sure though it's pretty sweet.

 

Much later: I wonder if it's because i kind of rubbed the fingers that had Frederic on them with the wrist that had Kyoto. It was good for about an hour, and then it went all play-doh on me.

Edited May 6, 2008 by amnerine

[gchris]

definately cherry. The anise is coming out stronger which balances the cherry

 

dry: This is licorice and cherries

[savage_rose]

At first it's lovely cherry blossom, but then it goes straight to anise. A very pungent licorice...it doesn't smell good on me, and the other notes have disappeared .

[Alierie]

In Bottle: Cherry pervades, although there is a hint of an almost woody scent.

 

On Skin: The cherry fades and if I close my eyes, I feel like I'm back in Japan again. It smells like nostalgia, like being back in my apartment with the windows open during spring while the sakura trees are in bloom. After awhile, it becomes a little harder to distinguish/describe but it's warm and wonderful. So it changes, but it does have staying power.

 

Verdict: The only downside is that it makes me want to go back to Japan. I got it in an imp to try, but I will be buying a big bottle of this because I can't get enough of it! It's beautiful and is definitely cheaper than a plane ticket back to Japan.