Water Calligraphy

Love this stuff! But honestly, I don't think it does smell "niche". It smells very "mainstream" to me. The perfume isn't exactly groundbreaking, but really lovely and inoffensive nonetheless. And, withal, high quality ingredients make it stand out from the crowd of aquatic fragrances. The only downside is the price.

beautiful :)) love at first test

Easily the most feminine scent I own! I only have a 7.5ml atomizer which I suspect my girlfriend will get more use from than me but hey? Yes this is very familiar and reminiscent of Issey Miyake but for me has a little more finesse. It opens sweet but then the white floral body takes over and it becomes the sort of fragrance I usually don't like but something about this is somehow more mellow? Maybe it's because it's waterlily, Magnolia and Jasmine rather than orange blossom or neroli? This tends to make it sweeter and frankly quite girly but strangely more pleasing on me. Again I'm not someone who conforms to the traditional paradigms of Man/woman fragrance categorization but you have to call it as you see it and that's what I think. Oddly enough I'd wear this though! The couple of wears so far have interesting in that the opening couple of hours aside the dry down smells amazing on me! Just a very clean almost green vetiver with a little floral touch hanging in there... I really like it. Anyone dismissing this fragrance as over priced for what is a common smelling feminine fragrance should expect to be pleasantly suprised after a few wears. The longevity is very good too.

Aptly named: an elegant, restrained, cultured pastel-floral exercise in fine control, mixed in a very, very gentle watercolour concentration and subtle enough to dissolve away leaving only a mere ripple of calm behind. Absolutely pleasant and upscale, and with enough genuine aura & quality in the grapefruit and magnolia to make its mark... at least at first. Vetiver and cardamom are both EXTREMELY subtle here (so don't be alarmed) and mostly just work to cool it all down even further. But overall, not bold or sweeping enough to really stick - and not original enough to fully seal the deal. Very much like a Hermes Jardins approach but somehow less sure of itself - meaning that it diffuses even faster and leaves barely a ripple behind. Pretty femme and lasting for say 4-5 h, though only projects for 2 at the outer limits. Certainly elegant, lovely and cooling for a hot, muggy day - but still just way more generic and less special than the Kilian name (never mind the Kilian prices!) might suggest. Tremendously refreshing dip in classy waters, then, but doesn't make all that much of a splash.

The first spray of this I loved-as it was initially light, citrusy, with iris notes and grapefruit However, as it dried down, the grapfruit and other citrus in this perfume came off extremely strong on me, taking over the other notes, and all I smelled was the cirtus/grapefruit. I like the first half-life of this perfume, but not the secnd half! I do believe it is my body chemistry though, as these has happened with other perfumes with strong grapefruit notes. I want to like this due to the other notes, specifically, the hint of iris. I notice the collection descriptions at the actual retailers have different descriptions with much more notes listed than here or anywhere online.

OK so I'm not a huge fan of aquatic fragrances, but this is my exception. I have a tester that I've been savoring. I plan on buying it as I have no aquatic fragrances in my collection and would like one. It has great sillage and longevity as most of the Kilian line does. The main note throughout is the water lily, followed by jasmine, but it isn't linear or simple either. I think it is a nice scent for spring or summer, and would be appropriate day or night. This is the only aquatic that doesn't smell cheap or masculine to me. If you have been curious about it, I recommend getting a tester, it might surprise you!

I can not believe by kilian has brought out an aquatic floral, whilst its very nice and well done I would not consider it full bottle worthy. The Water lily is very prominent in the fragrance all the way through. I am a massive by kilian fan so it pains me to say that I was not bowled over by this latest perfume.

A pleasant aquatic floral, vaguely reminiscent of the opening of Zoologist Beaver (the newer one) minus any trace of the animalic Beaver-ness about it. But I'm not sure why as the notes seem completely different?? Really enjoy the jasmine and magnolia in this, but I already have other aquatic floral fragrances.

Smells like shampoo....very clean...it's nice...longevity is ok....sits fairly close to skin....not a $235+/50ml kinda value IMHO.

196) Water Draft A cacophonous mixture of water (the impression of indistinct Foral fleet is pretty well made), it's chemical, synthetic, washed with water. Then a magnolia and a fat tip of Sambac Jasmine make natural alibi and seems a bit lost in all this screeching, yet it is the only thing that saves this water from sinking. And what else to say, except that it smells like niche shampoo. The floral water is still a genre widely explored for years and we have already smell much better elsewhere. Fleur de Liane at L'Artisan Parfumeur has a better rendering full of poetry. It is not ugly, I even willingly wear this kind of fragrance as refreshing sun cream, but it is not a perfume. Everything is well executed, we feel the experience of the perfumer but it does not affect me. The marketing target of this kind of juice is "romantic, young and pretty (+ transparent?)". The main idea of this new collection is to be sold on the Asian market with smooth, clean and versatile scents. Especially we can feel a profound boredom and it really raises questions about the cynicism of the marketing team. "And the sillage?" "...the what?" As always the exaggerated price is the best way to hide the mediocrity of the product. Who dares say that he paid this price for something less good than an half expensive perfume?

I thought I fell in love with this after trying 10+perfumes from a niche store. I tried almost all Kilian perfume on paper strip, then some lartisan perfumer, and rosine something brand and many other...This was so far the best- aquatic and clean . Smelled more unisex. BUT... After paying $350 for this 50ml bottle, yikes!($275+tax and shipping at Saks and I payed the high price since I was in Korea), I was hoping it would smell the same on my clothes-- I usually don't spray perfume directly on my skin. The store didn't have any left since this is so popular according to them, and perhaps it is true, they gave me small samples and told me to come back in a week. I sprayed it on my arms after I came home...and clothes...smelled so yucky. I got headache and this nauseous feeling that I want to vomit. This never happened to me except when I smelled No.5, or any other fakey perfumes such as lancome, dior, j.lo, britney spears perfume...etc This brand is a total shame- only expensive due to marketing and the fact that the guy who made this brand is an heir to some really renown whisky company. Thank goodness the store ran out of this!! I might have opened the bottle and spray on myself and then trash it.

This is the first time I am trying By Killian thanks to a wonderful member here. Water Calligraply is a floral aquatic scent with very prominent water lily note.Imagine a lake full of water lillies,that's how it smells like.Unfortunately for that price range and exclusivity it's not unique nor stands out.It can easily pass as a mainstream,plain floral aquatic scent.Nothing to rave about.The lasting power is below average and sillage is almost undetectable.

This opened on my skin without any citrus accords, going directly to a very sweet water lily, which remained the dominant note. I was disappointed with how linear this fragrance developed, and how little depth it displayed on me.

Transparent citrus-floral opening, quite beautiful actually. Too bad that after that the scent takes an U-turn to laundry detergent department. Clean? For sure.

Water Calligraphy is a nicely presented and skilfully composed floral aquatic. I'm not a huge fan of aquatic scents, but whenever I get the chance to smell an aquatic of this calibre, using quality ingredients, I can understand why people love them. It is best enjoyed during the heat of the day. This fragrance is predominantly focused on water lily and sweet, dewy jasmine. It smells rather pretty on the skin, and even the tart opening of grapefruit goes down a treat. It is definitely a fragrance that has the ability to grow on you. In terms of creativity, I feel it somewhat lacking. Many comparisons can be drawn from the very popular Issey Miyake L'eau d'Issey, which is a staple in almost every aquatic lover's wardrobe. I find its somewhat generic approach disheartening. I hoped to discover a new and exciting take on an aquatic that hadn't been done to death. I wish that the vetiver accord in the drydown was stronger, and more earthy. In this composition it presents itself as salty and woodsy, which is certainly pleasant but nowhere near as striking as it should be. Overall, Water Calligraphy is fresh, crisp and summery with a slight oceanic twist. It seems to be more of a hit with men than it is with women. Many have agreed that the scent is well-constructed, however the price does pose a slight concern. Is it really worth the big bucks? In terms of aquatics, Water Calligraphy is easily one of the nicest. It's a slightly different path for By Kilian, but I'm rather liking the risks they're willing to take for their consumers. I won't be buying a full bottle, but that's not to say that I didn't thoroughly enjoy it.

I thought I would instantly fall in love with this. It's Kilian, it's aquatic, it's got water lily - these are usually all components I adore in a perfume. But sadly (for me, anyway) it also has jasmine, which turns to instant soap on my skin. So what happens with this is that I get shampoo for about 45minutes, then when the jasmine fades on me, I'm left with something beautiful but barely there. If your skin reacts well to jasmine, I'm sure you won't have this problem (and I'm totally jealous of you!). But after that jasmine departs, I get the most gorgeous, elegant floral aquatic. It really is beautiful. The problem is that by this point, the sillage is so weak that I can barely smell it on myself at all. So my only option is to respray... which gives me 45 minutes of shampoo again. Argh! I see a lot of comparisons to Issey Miyake. I've worn that perfume for 15 years now and I don't get the same smell from this at all. They're both aquatic florals, but that's where the similarity ends for me. I was really excited to see a company like By Kilian choosing to make an aquatic because us aquatic lovers have a hard time finding well made ones since many perfume houses shy away from the genre. But I just wish he hadn't used jasmine and it offered a bit more oomph. The jasmine thing is my fault, of course, but the weak sillage/longevity I think I can probably blame on Mr Hennessey ;)

Water Calligraphy is a masterfully blended aquatic floral. Magnolia and grapefruit pop out right in the opening, giving the composition a glorious sparkling warmth. The cardamom gives it a slightly spicy edge, and the water lily and vetiver give it a lush translucency. It has a large, rich peachy sillage, good longevity, and the whole thing positively glows, like an expensive married woman on a relaxed afternoon brunch with her grownup daughter. Or maybe it is the expensive grownup daughter who is wearing Water Calligraphy. It is a fragrance they could easily share. This fragrance is extremely floral and Sunny sweet, so if you shy away from sweet white floral frags, this may not be for you. The soapy, powdery and aquatic notes really emerge full-force in the dry down, which is admittedly not so exciting as far as dry downs go, but it remains easy to wear, right through to the end. I see this fragrance as a sparkly fuchsia and tangerine colored aura. If Pegasuses were real, luminous trails of Water Calligraphy would probably flow from their butts as they gracefully soared through the clouds. I tend to dislike aquatic notes in fragrances, but Kilian pulls them off well in this summery feminine composition. I wouldn't buy it myself but I will probably use my whole sample, which is more that I can say for a lot of perfumes.

And here's the official By Kilian description of this fragrance: An olfactive impression of an aquatic flower sitting next to a pod of water lillies...a moment of delicacy. Water Calligraphy is a harmonious duo of sparkling grapefruit zest and reseda blossom underlined by dewy warer lily to awaken the senses. In the heart, the majestic jasmine sambac enhances the evanescent magnolia giving an ipression of quiet water sliding over cardamom and vetiver, like chinese ink slides over rice paper. Well Mr. Kilian, this one is indeed delicate, the flowery combination in the opening mixed with a prominent grapefruit note makes my senses tingle to a zen state in a beautiful way (like resting in one of those famous chinese lakes) but sadly the magic just stays in the opening, where in the heart we have a dull Avon's type of smell that makes me angry since the transition is so unexpected in a bad way.

Ok... you want my honest opinion? I like water calligraphy. I don't love it but I like it a lot. Flower of Immortality is feminine. Bamboo Harmony is Unisex. Water Calligraphy is Unisex (but on the more feminine side) It is definetely clean. And definetely fresh. The lilly on the top is super aquatic with the heart and base being mostly vetiver and grapefruit. It is less masculine then Tom Ford Neroli Portofino but wayyyyyy more feminine then Grey Vetiver. I wear it and i think it smells awesome but my girlfriend thinks it smells a bit girly. I think it depends on the person for sure. It is a summer fragrance and I don't think it has the body to be worn it the snowy midwest in December but I will be rocking it this summer. I'll let u know how it works out :) if you want a sample, lemme know ! [email protected]

I really wanted to like this one more than I do. It's well blended and obviously made with quality ingredients, and even evokes a fairly strong imagery for me of newly blooming water lilies in a tranquil pond in June, but I think people are correct with the comparison to L'eau d'Issey which I haven't managed to work with my skin or come to really appreciate yet. Too bad, but at least my wallet is happy for once!