Geisha Nobara-Cha Eau de Parfum

I love all sorts of rose perfumes and this one is wonderful. Smells like a natural rose otto EO and geranium EO. Does not smell like the typical rose aromachemicals so if you're looking for that smell, you won't find it here. Rose otto essential oil uses an extraction method that leaves in the "dirty", murkier aspects of rose. It has a darker, earthier scent than a rose absolute. This perfume captures those aspects well. The drydown is a delectable sandalwood that also smells like actual sandalwood: sweet, slightly pungent. Overall, this is not a bright, cheerful rose. It's deep, earthy, and contemplative. Not a lot of projection so it's a rather intimate experience. Perfect for cold weather.

When I first opened up the sample vial of this perfume oil, I was struck by the same “new shower curtain” note that I had smelled in Geisha Blanche. Fortunately it only lasts a minute or so in Nobara-Cha, because it’s quickly overpowered by the rose. The strong new vinyl smell must be some characteristic of the oil used in these perfumes. At first the scent is mostly an oily rose, or rose plus new shower curtain, but gradually it changes to sandalwood. The sandalwood took me by surprise because I kept smelling it in a series of flash-forwards, but thought it was coming from somewhere else since it didn’t seem to belong with the rose. Finally I realized it was the sillage from my wrist. This Geisha is a little too floral for me initially, and a little too much like a vinyl rose rather than a fresh and dewy one. It is a relief to get to the sandalwood drydown after the initial stages, but it’s a rough oily sandalwood rather than the suave and polished ones that are in so many of my favorite perfumes. I think oil based perfumes in general are rougher than alcohol-based ones, and it’s hard to keep the oil from being one of the notes. It would be interesting to smell the Geisha series in the EdP versions, which I suspect would be a lot different. This is a distinctly two-step perfume, with a middle stage in which the two players alternate rather than blending. The sillage is considerable, and the scent is long lasting, but not really my style.

Smells mostly like pure high-quality rose oil on me. Lovely for someone who wants a deep and natural-smelling rose that lasts. Seems well-made but doesn't grab me enough to warrant a bottle.

Received a sample from luckyscent and was intrigued after sniffing the vial. However, when I applied it, Nobara-Cha quickly settled into a vague simile of Gres Cabotine, only definitely not as nice. Where Cabotine is a natural, organic smelling, and layered spicy floral, this smells manufactured and flat. I'm relieved I only went with a sample and not a blind buy. On the other hand, my 13 year old son loved it, described it thus: "I like it. It smells like the forest. I'd wear this, it smells like pine trees and camping. Give me your sample if you don't like it." To each his own, I suppose! Sillage was awesome and longetivity was intense - 3 or 4 drops from the vial is what I applied, my son could smell it about 4 feet away; I tried to wash it off but it lingered for hours afterward.

Smells like an old lady's rose scented pot pourri, musty and totally boring and i would never wear this.