Kyoto

[Esperwind]

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

This is not just the first BPAL imp I've tried, but one of only a handful of times I've worn perfume in my life. Here goes nothing!

In the imp: anise and cherry, as expected, neither one really dominating the other. I'm getting a lighter, floral cherry, not the juicy or candy cherry some people are.

Wet: Anise, anise, anise, with just a hint of the cherry and something else a little herbal. Now I'm a little worried--I love the taste licorice, but maybe I was wrong about thinking I'd like it so much in a perfume.

Dry: Getting a lot more of the cherry blossom now, and the balance is really nice. The anise is much more agreeable when it's not so dominant. There's also some other light note coming out that I can't identify--maybe that's the sandalwood? The oil seems to have faded very fast, but the occasional sniff of my wrists is making me long for spring even though we've hardly seen snow yet. Dunno how often I'll end up wearing this, but it's made for a pleasant first venture.

[fufu_berry]

Very soothing indeed - on me, this is a light, airy fragrance. A hint of cherry blossom, a small tingle of anise, and a whisper of sandalwood to ground it. I was afraid it might be too floral/perfume-y sine cherry blossom can sometimes get like that, but it's very well-blended. It stays the same from wet to dry, and is very close to the skin and hard to detect after only about a half hour (although that might be my parched winter skin as well).

 

It's also very evocative - I've never been to Kyoto, but it reminds me a lot of cherry blossom viewing in Tokyo, right at the beginning of the season when the sakura are just starting to bloom. I think this will be lovely for spring, very fresh and gentle.

[PixieSkull]

To me, Kyoto was a manly bouquet of notes. White sandalwood stays a bit dry and warm on me in general, but mixed with the other notes became the dry backbone to a swirl of somewhat rugged notes. Cherry blossom became a bit herbal mixed with the star anise. The spice made the blend even more masculine.

 

Didn't love it on me.

[Xue_Bai]

From my first BPAL order...

 

Imp: Smells like cherry and tea, with a hint of anise. Lightly sweet.

 

Wet: It's back licorice. I mean, I can pick out the individual scents underneath, but together it make a sticky sweet black licorice...

 

Dry: Still smells like black licorice, though slightly less sweet. Hmm, I've never tried a scent with anise in it...looks like I amp it.

 

Later: Okay, the sweetness has gone, and the anise has quieted. Now it's light cherry blossom, some sandalwood, and a tiny bit of the anise hanging on. Very light and nice and more what I thought this scent would be. But it took over an hour to get to this nice point and then it didn't last for much longer...though what lingers is fresh and clean smelling, even if I'm not. The throw was pretty weak. This scent was not what I expected, but I'm not unhappy with it. Black licorice and anise are a happy, homey smells for me, and the morph into the lighter cherry blossom scent is calming. I'll keep the imp, though I'm not sure I'd order it again.

[Deliciousness]

Imp: Sweet yet soapy
Wet on Skin: Very similar to the vial - cherry blossoms with something slightly spicy and warm (must be the star anise). Alas, this is starting to turn a little soapy on my skin.
Dry: The star anice is starting to morph to something akin to licorice. The initial soapiness isn't exactly going away , but it's not getting any worse either.

It's funny, I like all the scents within this blend, but this isn't working for me ... may just be my awkward skin chemistry

[IambicDearie]

Cherry always seems to turn into cough medicine on me, but Kyoto faded too quickly for it to get too icky. Alas, I think the two of us aren't meant to be. I may wear it again, as the 40-ish minutes where I could detect it were pleasant, but Kyoto isn't one of my immediate favorites.

[Magycmyste]

In the imp: A sweet scent - mostly the anise, with a hint of the cherry blossom shining through. The anise mingled with the cherry blossom reminds me of the fakey cherry flavor you get in some candy - or maraschino cherries. I'm igoring that thought as best I can, but that association doesn't really bode well for this scent for me.

 

Wet on skin: The sandalwood is coming out now, along with a strong edge of anise, and a hint of the cherry blossom again. The combination seems to be producing a sharp astringency. It reminds me of the fennel candy you'll see near the front at some Indian restaurants (It's the equivalent of the mints you find at other places to freshen your breath as you leave).

 

Dried down: Mostly the sandalwood, overtaking everything else. There's still a hint of anise and cherry blossom if I sniff hard enough, but mostly sandalwood.

 

Throw: Faint throw on me, completely sandalwood. Getting the other notes requires me to sniff my wrists.

 

Verdict: ** 1/* I had such high hopes for this, since I love sandalwood and cherry blossom, but..... I don't think this one is going to work for me. The sandalwood is too dry, and when it overtakes everything else, it seems as though there's little special about this scent. And, while I say I wish there was something else to make it special, I mean the cherry blossom. I'm glad the anise has faded to barely there, since it was a little too strong for me in the beginning. I rally wish the cherry blossom had balanced more with the sandalwood and dominated this. I may save this to try again, since I really wanted this one to work, but so far, I think it will be headed to the swaps.

[lucycat]

This was a frimp from the Lab. I have wanted to try Kyoto for a while, so thank you, Lab!

 

In the imp: Cherry blossom with a faint undertone of anise.

 

Wet: Cherry blossom and anise.

 

The anise emerges more as this dries, till Kyoto finally dries down to an almost pure anise scent, which I love. It’s soft and sweet, and really feels like a lighter, gentler version of Kabuki (which also has star anise and cherry rather than cherry blossom.)

 

This is light and pretty and will be perfect for springtime.

[Monster]

In the vial this is all black licorice anise. When first applied to my skin, it's still a delicious, sweet smelling anise. Black licorice is my absolute favorite candy in the whole world. In fact, just today I bought a bag of those sugar-dusted old fashioned black licorice hard candies, Kyoto smells like those taste. As it dries, the cherry blossom peeks through in the background. The soft, pink floral is such an interesting contrast against the dominant anise! I never would have thought to put these notes together but, they work!

 

The final dry down is black licorice with a breeze of cherry blossoms.

[JuliskaMarie]

In the imp: The main note is a scent I don't recognise - it smells rather like licorice, so I'm guessing that must be the star anise? There's a bit of sandalwood & a tiny hint of cherry blossom too (though really it smells more like the bark of a cherry blossom tree rather than the actual flowers, because it's so faint), but mostly it's the strange licoricey note.

Wet on skin: It's MUCH fainter on my skin - the white sandalwood is the main note now, but this is really subtle at this point.

Dry on skin: Star anise & the cherry blossom has shown up! Yum! The white sandalwood is here too, but not as noticeable. This smells strange, but weirdly familiar & I can't place it. I think I like it though?

After a few hours: Much more subtle now, but otherwise about the same as dry.

Verdict: This smells really familiar & I have no idea what it reminds me of! It's quite nice though. Not sure I'd ever buy a bottle of it, but I'll probably get some use out of the imp.

[lady_pandora]

Frimp from the Lab

 

Kyoto starts out mostly anise (licorice) when it's wet, then as it dries, the cherry blossom comes out and blooms next to it. I get no sandalwood. The blend is soft, pretty, delicate, and not me, but I think I know someone who'd like it.

[ModderRhu]

I love this. it's a playful, peppery cherry blossom and sandalwood. the anise is subtle but serves as a nice contrast to the salty sandalwood and sweet blossoms. it's great on its own, but the dryness of it pairs really awesomely with kabuki. which is a much wetter and juicier scent.

[barilace]

Free imp.

 

I'm sorry but this smells like cough drops with added spiciness to me.

Edited March 20, 2015 by barilace

[Veronica]

I thought I would enjoy this, but it is pure cloying white floral on me.

[joopjoop]

I'm increasingly impressed with how well the Wanderlust scents evoke their namesakes. I've never been to Kyoto, but this is what I imagine an ideal version of it to smell like: wooden buildings, cherry blossoms and a little bit of something mysterious.

 

Kyoto is very elegant and refined. I really love the cherry blossoms and the star anise together and the sandalwood grounds things nicely when it is wet and on the dry down. Once dry, the sandalwood becomes a little stronger than I'd like - I think I amp woods of all kinds, so I might try layering with Kabuki or another cherry scent to see if that counters the sandalwood somewhat.

 

All in all I find myself admiring this scent - maybe more than I enjoyed wearing it. But I'm definitely keeping the imp around for a few more tests.

[LizziesLuck]

I tried this a long time ago, and don't think I cared for it, but somehow failed to make any notes or review it.

 

The imp I am tested right now appears to be quite aged, and I am wondering if maybe it hasn't aged all that well? Hard to say. This is spicier than I expected, and I feel like I am getting more spice than just the anise. The sandalwood is really nice. The cherry blossom smells almost more like the fruit than the flower. The strange, unexpected, cherry plus spice combo is reminding me of The Phantom Calliope, and is nothing like I remember or expected. I think I would like to try a fresh imp of this sometime....but if this is Kyoto aged, then I actually quite like it. It's subtle, muted, and elegantly understated.

[renfair]

This came to me as an imp in a free, pay-it-forward lot of imps. I was really looking forward to it because I love Japan and cherry blossoms!

First Sniff Impression: Nothing special in the vial. Women's cologne.

Wet in Vial: Just smells like a sort of generic women's cologne.

Drying Down on Skin: It's much easier to pick out notes once it's on skin, I can get all three, though fortunately the anise is light because I'm definitely not a fan of anise. --I take that back. Now the anise is coming out more, and I really don't like it. Maybe good for someone who likes spices more than I do. I think the sandalwood is playing off of the anise more than the cherry blossom, because I can barely smell the floral. I'd like it more if the floral were more prominent.

Dry on Skin: Oh, yeah. This is just not good on me. It's very "cologne" smelling. It needs a fruit or something to sweeten it up.

Conclusion: I disliked this one so much that I had to wash most of it off. Maybe because I washed it, there did appear to be a bit more cherry blossom come out later, but it was too little, too late. This was a little disappointing since I love Japan so much. I'll be passing this along.

[lizabelle]

Surprisingly I get no cherry blossom from this until the final dry-down stage; before that it's all anise. I like anise but this is just overpowering. I'm not sure if I'm amping it or what, but it's definitely not a favorite. Once all the anise finally calms down there's some powdery sandalwood and something soft and very feminine that I'm guessing is cherry blossom (although a much subtler version than I've ever tried). On me this is completely unbalanced and I think something just doesn't like my chemistry. I'll be passing it along.

[achildoftime]

I was fully expecting this to be more cherry blossom than anything else, but I straight up smell like a box of Good n Plenty. It's anise, but it's definitely in the sweeter black licorice realm. When it starts to dry the sandalwood does come out to pull it back from smelling completely like the least popular candy choice among kids. It's woody, but the anise is still the star here. I don't get any floral at all, actually. I can't say I'm a fan, but i'm glad I got to try it.

[cassiejaynebunk]

in the imp - it's licorice, and i HATE licorice. I agree with achildoftime, it smells like Good n Plenty. on my skin - i get the sweet cherry blossom trying to come out, and the anise starts to take a back seat, and the sandalwood lends itself to smoothing out the blend. masterfully blended, just not for me.

[Lucchesa]

I ended up with two imps of Kyoto somehow. Cherry blossom can go plastic on me, but here I barely get the floral at all. It's just a faint suggestion of cherry blossom, with sandalwood and quite a bit of anise. No throw and average wear length on me. I like anise and sandalwood, but it's a little simple for my tastes. Good enough to keep one imp, but I can swap the other.

[cyborgutena]

I got this as a frimp. Not sure I would have picked it for myself, but I actually do like it and have worn it when the mood struck.

 

Firstly, I really love licorice and star anise so I find this scent pretty intriguing. The sandalwood softens the anise sharpness and the cherry blossom lends a floral sweetness to the already existing spicy sweetness. There's a certain powderyness to this that isn't unpleasant.

 

I get cherry blossom but not cherry like some other people. I don't really get candy from this...not in the regular sense anyway. The sweetness is more like mukhwas. It's sharp but soft and it's really nice to keep sniffing. I probably won't buy a full only because it's not super 'me' most of the time, but I'll certainly use up my imp eventually.

 

[monocainsheresy]

Oh heck yeah - this is 100% sweet, spicy, candied anise on me! However it does itch  

[biggnerd]

I meant to leave this for Kabuki, not Kyoto.  Please delete.

Edited January 5, 2020 by biggnerd

[doomsday_disco]

Kyoto is all about the anise on me for the first few hours of wear. So much so, that I don't get any of the other notes until it calms down. Then it is mostly about the cherry blossom and dusty sandalwood with just a tinge of anise.

 

This one is too strong on the anise for me, but I am glad I got to try it.