Kimono

Clean, fragrant snow comes to rest on thick black lashes, fringing them with white and causing them to flutter in protest against the chill, like Persian silk blossoms troubled by an errant breeze. Drawing nearer, one observes the delicate rosy rims from which the eyelashes emerge, ending in a soft knot of glistening pink at each corner. That restrained pink bud, giving rise to the pure bluish-white of the eyes, shines like the pistil of a lily. From this intimate distance, then, comes the scent: softly powdered skin, newly fallen snow, and warm puffs of breath after a meal of white rice. Aside from a suggestive powderiness, the lipstick note eludes me. Still, there is a carmine quality present, where the white cotton bleeds to scarlet: an impression of something so pure it can only be sacrificial. Such a perfume seems best applied to the vulnerable inner wrist, where the pulse beats lightly against the bones, always in fluid motion; and the nape of the neck, where supple warmth mingles with the soft, rice-like scent and pervades the silky hairs that curl with moisture. It is not a bold or markedly unique perfume, but has the sensuous quality of bare skin radiating warmth from beneath folds of concealing fabric. Beautiful, soft-focus fragrance. A pity that this should bear any association to something so depraved as AI-generated art. To pair with: a steaming cup of 糯米茶; gifts wrapped in thick layers of silk tissue so that unwrapping them is like unwrapping a woman; Spring Snow by Yukio Mishima.

Kimono is the (underrated) knockout from the sample set imho. This was love at first spray for me: the magnolia notes are fantastic, blooming on the skin in a really elegant and mouthwatering way. Kimono is expertly blended- none of the notes are screechy or overwhelming, forming a lovely symphony of faint flower petals and soft powder. The rice, which I think is the least noticeable note, is not a gourmand rice. It's the rice powder you'd see in traditional Japanese skincare and makeup. This is what I wanted Putains des Palaces from ELDO to be and I'm not shocked to see it in the "Reminds me of..." tab. Definitely less carnal than PdP and more virginal- makes me feel like a living porcelain doll dressed in the finest, most elaborate silks, with perfect makeup and hair. The soft magnolia and barely-there lanolin from the lipstick keeps it from being too stuffy and stark, though. From the notes I expected this to be a "drier" powdery smell but there's definitely a beating heart and aliveness here. The only thing that keeps this from being 5 big booms: echoing that my sample set arrived leaky and in bad condition! From what I've seen from other online reviewers, that seems to be not uncommon at all :( I think the set is still worth buying despite the price because all the scents are so good, just be aware...

This is so soft, smooth, & elegant! The sweetness of the powdery opening almost reminds me of my long lost love, Maison Margiela Lipstick On. Within an hour the sweetness has mostly faded, but still remains as an undercurrent as the scent relaxes into a clean, slightly aquatic, vaguely floral rice powder. It's nostalgic and a bit old fashioned but in the best way, like a childhood idea of what a classy lady smells like, sophisticated & poised yet unpretentious & approachable. It's a subtle skin scent and supremely wearable. I can see this being suitable for almost any occasion. We'll see about longevity; the first time I wore it I got at least 6 hours if not more out of it. Today I'm about 2 hours out and it's already considerably faded, but I have a feeling I'll continue to get hints for several more hours. Overall just so beautiful! Update - 9 hours out and I can still scent this. At the very end it's just clean rice paper scent with an aquatic floral note from the magnolia. Easy, light, unobtrusive and clean. Not quite as beautiful as the first few hours, but still very pleasant. This is well rounded through all phases of the scent and an absolute winner.

Instantly obsessed. Did Matcha Soft Serve and Sakura Snow get all the love? I must have missed the buzz on this because it's super special. I tried this without looking up the notes and without hearing much buzz and this is one of very, very, very few instances where I had the immediate knowledge I'd be getting a full bottle. Soft, papery, creamy, silky, only the tiniest hints of floral. I do keep coming back to that word 'papery' though. Don't get me wrong, it's my favorite part and I'm in awe, but I wonder if it's just the grain note that reminds me of L'eau Papier. If anyone can tell me why it reminds me of a craft store, let me know, I swear it's not a dig. If I had a chance to name this, I'd call it Composition Book or Diary. Got this from the discovery set straight from d'Annam and unfortunately, though it was shrinkwrapped, the samples themselves were leaky and in poor condition. Despite that, this is one of the most effortlessly classy things I've ever smelled so I am completely sold. Perfect for a genuine classy person, but also perfect for a klutz like me who wants to roleplay a classy person for a few hours.

This one was my favorite in the whole discovery set for women. Quiet luxury, softly whispering elegance. She is definitely in that makeup-y genre, with the powder and lipstick reminiscent of a luxury department store vibe, but not super powdery for those who are put off by the baby powder blast. Just the right amount playing in the background. The magnolia is the true winner, however, and masterfully blended with the rice (one of my new favorite notes, although I much prefer the Italian risotto rendition of Riso to this brands white rice if you are looking fora true smoked rice fragrance). One of the trust renditions of the magnolia flower, which is much softer than some of her sister white flowers, but also much more unique, and hence a great fragrance for a wedding, picnic, or spring day. Longevity is average, and sillage is sadly on the lower end, but the beautiful scent is still at the top for me from this chapter.