Shouutsushi Aioi Genji

[Seajewel]

Candle wax, golden amber, lotus root, and smoke. 

[frizzlechicken]

Opening the bottle I got a blast of honey?! Upon application though it’s all lotus, which made me a little nervous (like it was going to be far more floral than I anticipated.) However, that faded and the familiar candle smoke/beeswax scent appeared. As the day wore on this morphed into something that reminded me of a spring version of Endless Corridors or Bloody Corridors, which I guess must be the smoke note. I never detected the Amber. The overall scent is soft and not overpowering. 

[rivetted]

mmmmmmm this one is delicious. easily one of my top picks so far out of this years shungas i ordered, but will have to test more to see how it goes.

 

the lotus is really pleasant and not overwhelming. the candlewax/beeswax and smoke is very dominant, with the amber keeping this feeling sweet, incensey, and resinous. perhaps slightly sweeter than i may have expected. this is really really lovely. a sexy, smokey scent that could be worn regularly.

i could imagine this scent as a backdrop in a fancy massage parlor. it definitely fits in with the overall vibes of the shungas and japanese scent collections.

Edited March 27, 2022 by rivetted

[picturesofmeghan]

this is my top pick. it reminds me a little of dalliances by candlelight, but the honey isn’t like regular BPAL honey and instead adds a sweet, vanilla quality. i can’t pick out the lotus well, but it goes on soft and spa like, so i imagine it is in there. it blooms into a sweet, smoky, candlewax. my favorite so far 

[starbrow]

Woof, this is a SMOKY beeswax for the first few minutes! A thousand candles blown out all at once, the air hazy with thick candlesmoke and the rich twang of melted beeswax, the ghost of honey. In that sense, it smells just like every other strong beeswax scent from the lab at this stage, just a few weeks old. Endless Corridors started out this way, as just a stronger Light of Men's Lives, with more honey/smoke than florals.

 

Lotus is usually a powerful note for me, a bubblegum-sweet floral that dominates. Here, it does not! It sweetens and turns the beeswax a little more powdery (the golden amber helps with that too), but currently, it's a quiet role in this blend, and a surprisingly elegant one. The golden amber too is a late-stage player, lending its gentle warmth and softness to the stronger notes. 

 

I think Shouutsushi will age into a remarkably different beast, perhaps one that is warmer and sweeter even than it is now! I will check in with my decant in a few months and see if it needs upgrading, just like Endless Corridors did for me. Beeswax fans should take note and run, not walk!

[doomsday_disco]

Ooh, this is a very lovely candle smoke and beeswax scent swirled with some non-bubblegum-y lotus root and a touch of golden amber. The candle smoke and beeswax remind me of my beloved (Not So) Penitent (Mini) Magdalene, which is one of my favorite beeswax scents from the Lab.

 

Silly me for not blind bottling this because a decant will not be enough. 

Edited April 18, 2022 by doomsday_disco

[Missanneshirleyofgg]

I agree so much that this is akin to (Not So) Penitent (Mini) Magdalene. Its a lovely, cozy beeswax scent and for those who love book adjacent fragrances its perfect. Its so smooth, which I attribute to the lotus which seems to be so light in this blend. Its a comforting scent, with these spring days often waxing gothic with sudden turns from spring warmth to rain, darkness and chill. I often imagine this would be gorgeous in the autumn, for the same reasons but for me, someone who relies on an ereader to be lulled into sleep, its going to be a lovely perfume to give me the aesthetic of paper and candle. 

[LavenderCoffee]

I wasn't sure if candle wax would necessarily equate to beeswax, but this is absolutely a treat for beeswax folks.

I get a candy-like lotus take on Val from the Yule collection, in which the lotus fades gradually and leaves a sweet skin close beeswax after several hours of wear. The smoke is fairly subtle on my skin, would love to see that note gain strength with age.

[Lucchesa]

I love love love the BPAL beeswax note, and Shouutsushi Aioi Genji delivers.  I was worried that bubblegummy lotus would take this into cloying territory, but this is almost entirely a beeswax and amber scent on me, with the lotus contributing a creamy sweetness that doesn't overwhelm.  Unlike other reviewers, I get almost no smoke from this and I'm hoping that note will develop with a little more aging.  Definitely in the family of V'al Hanissim, Lights of Men's Lives and Endless Corridors.  In other words, lovely. 

[Casablanca]

A calming honeyed beeswax and candle-smoke. The honey-beeswax has that bit of caramel tone that reminds me of Dalliances by Candlelight, a Luper from another year.

 

The amber is well-blended and doesn't stand out on its own to me. I don't notice lotus for a while... but as this dries, I find a little creamy pinkish quality that's pretty, and not bubblegummy. It reminds me a little of Poor Monkey and Elegant Vulvas.

 

Lovely blend.

 

[milo]

I don’t normally go for smoke blends, but this one has just a touch along with a gorgeous beeswax and honey.  This really smells authentic, very much like when my mom kept bees and she would lift these huge slats of honey filled beeswax, and the smoke from working around the bees lingered.  Lovely, I may track more down.

[zankoku_zen]

Buttery beeswax, with hints of floral and smoke. Medium throw and wear length.