Wabi-Sabi

I had to revisit this fragrance after living with it for some time. It is resinous, woody and quietly elegant. Beautifully blended. What still confuses me is the presentation. The scent does not feel white at all. In my mind it belongs to the color of elemi resin, warm and translucent. To my Greek nose, it feels exotic. I smell jasmine, but not as a flower. It appears like nostalgia, something familiar yet impossible to place. The opening is slightly sharp. Sometimes I avoid it, sometimes I search for it. The perfume smells more like materials than ingredients. Less herbs and spices, more texture and atmosphere. The incense is incredibly smooth and airy. Present without being heavy. It has volume without strong projection. A fragrance for Sundays, visiting friends, being inside a home. In colder weather I would wear it outdoors, maybe layered with something stronger. This is not seductive. It is social. You wear it to feel interesting rather than attractive. The DNA is unusual but gentle. It reminds me of childhood toys, plastic wrapping, soft silicone mixed with a light vanilla warmth. Not benzoin exactly. Lighter, cleaner, almost abstract. Wood and incense hold everything together beautifully. One of my favorites, even if it doesn’t smell like anything I already knew.

I had to hunt this perfume down. I went to 3 Beams stores all throughout Tokyo. Finding beauty in imperfection perfectly describes this fragrance. Strong saffron and black currant at the top which quietly shifts to woody smell reminiscent of temples. Musky and addictive, possibly from Ambroxan, can be smelled all throughout the scent making it simultaneously linear and non-linear. I kept getting wafts of the addictive smell past 8 hours. It definitely underpromises but overdelivers; a rarity in these days.

Picked this one up on my summer trip to Japan at a Beams and upon my return I found myself waiting for the first colder day of the year to wear this one. It is a perfectly blended sweet, resinous, woodsy, with subtle musky and floral notes. Lasts all day on skin for me, is appropriate for most days and nights. One of my favorite winter and fall scents and isn't a head turner but does get compliments, but more importantly is a scent that makes you want to smell your own wrists throughout the day.

This is well blended and captivating. Perfect for winter as it’s such a cozy, woody sweet and slightly dirty warm scent. Each time I wear it I pick up different notes. On clothes it opens with that sweet saffron before settling into a woody/ salty musky base. At drydown I get the grey musk with vanilla and ambergris note. The difference on my skin is that the ambergris shows up more prominently at dry down. I would test this before buying as it’s quite body chemistry dependent.

I smelled this with the whole line up and it stood out as my favorite. Sweet , ambery, woody, scent. There is an interesting element to it while being quite pleasant. Unfortunately, I was told it would be exclusive to Japan. I am considering a trip to pick it up. I don't need much of a reason to travel. Smelled only on tester strip since I was trying to smell many fragrances at one time but thought it was worth letting people know it's good and the limited availability.