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.

I’m enamored with this gentle creation. Kimono by d’Annam is a subtle masterpiece of a soft, powdery floral with a vintage feel. It wasn’t a love at first sniff but once I learned to appreciate the small sample that I had, I could not stop thinking about it and had to have a full bottle. This is a perfume that I wear for me. This is my night time ritual fragrance or for days when I plan to be at home. The imagery I get is of an old traditional home in Kyoto, as an elderly woman is making steamed white rice in her kitchen, she is showing me one of her vintage silk kimonos. The movement of unfolding the panels of the kimono wafts the scent of her floral perfume in the air and intermingles with the aromas in the environment. The perfume feels old but fresh at the same time. It invokes nostalgia for a fantasy memory. It transports me to a time where I never existed but that feels like home.

Unexpectedly good and would recommended it as a floral option for people who don't like traditional florals but want to try something new. The white magnolia is at first bright and almost citrusy, yet grounded in a hint of warmth from the biscuity rice powder note. You might miss the vintage lipstick accord if you're not looking for it, but it provides an underlying smoothness and evokes memories of walking past the makeup counter at an expensive department store. It has a mature vibe (in a good way), but there's a sheerness to it, a transparent quality that keeps it from plunging too deeply into old-fashioned territory. It's feminine, pretty, classy, and composed. If you like the dry maturity of Diptique's Orpheon or Fleur de Peau but are looking for something less soapy/baby powdery and more white floral, I would try this.

i gotta say, i never likened myself to a cosmetic powder-loving freak, but here we are. this is absolutely stunning. gossamer-thin silk and delicate dustings of rice powder, juxtaposed with thick, decadent red lipstick and dewy magnolia petals. i absolutely adore the interplay between these notes and find this entirely addictive, unlike any other powdery scent i've come across. the waxy lipstick note melds with the rice and flour, creating a paste-like texture. i find that this grounds the composition and prevents the more delicate notes from fluttering into the air completely. i was listening to Hikaru Hayashi's soundtrack for the naked island (1960) when introduced to this scent for the first time, and the association is now cemented into my brain--it makes sense. smells just like the soundtrack.

Wow, this is such an interesting scent. I have never smelled anything like this! Powdery rice, lipstick, flower, cosmeticky goodness. The rice note gives a unique twist to the usual feminine powdery smell. And I do have plenty of Iris powdery perfumes, which are undoubtedly all beautiful. But this is so different because of the savory rice note. I guess this could make me think of Kimono, silky, flowing. I am not sure if this Kimono is diaphanous because of the lipstick note. It makes me think of a heavier winter dress rather than a more sheer one. It also makes me think of a boudoir. Gorgeous. I tried other D’Annam fragrances, and I am impressed by the perfumer’s avant-grade interpretations and compositions. I think his entire line is worth testing.

I love this. The first spray is an intensely realistic waft of white rice, and then it settles and becomes a beautiful, soft, powdery floral. There’s something a bit clean to this, like expensive cold cream. There’s no fruit listen in the notes, but something in it reads as slightly fruit-adjacent to my nose - similar to the way Osmanthus has an apricot-y note to it. I see a lot of people saying this comes as old or vintage to them, but I don’t necessarily get that. It’s classy, but cozy. Like a wealthy young woman winding down at the end of the day.

I asked Lucky scent to include their favorite shampoo scents as the samples in a recent order and they did not disappoint. Kimono is powdery, fruity and feminine in a familiar way, while still feeling distinct and elevated from other fragrances in this scent category, maybe because it still manages to smell sophisticated. The initial spray has a starchy savory note that reminded me of the powder on mochi, then it quickly transformed into cosmetic powder with a fruity floral base. Great for that fresh out the shower feeling on a warm day.

This is a feminine, floral, nostalgic scent to my nose. The initial spray reminds me of springtime - specifically the scent of jonquils. I assume this must be the magnolia? On the dry down it reminds me of a hug from someone motherly. It brings to mind powdery makeup compacts and lipstick. It is suitable for spring and summer and is light and beautiful. This scent has struck something in me that I can't put a finger on but I truly love it and it is at the top of the list of full bottles I would like to own.

As with all D'annam fragrances, it is minimalistic, intimate, and gentle. It has a powdery, light yet fresh scent. I get a bit of silk, makeup, and baby powder. To me, this one smells like a mother. It carries a very feminine, motherly, and protective energy in a very subtle way. At times, it almost smells old to me, but not necessarily in a bad way. It reminds me of the smell of getting into fresh sheets after putting on a moisturizer and feeling safe in the comfort of your home.It radiates calmness.

smells like powdery, smooth, floral makeup with starchiness from rice. Oh this one is SO, SO DAMN GOOD. I had hard time imagining what silk smells like (still trying haha) but imagine like a flower fetal. The smoothness, the softness, the SILKYNESS when you slide your finger on it. It's so feminine and mature. I got some lipstick note too and the rice, oh, I think the rice note is more realistic than the one in white rice lol. So worth sniffing once in your life. I think it's all year round scent.

This was my first full bottle buy from d'Annam and the only one I knew immediately that I wanted. The iris-y lipstick note is a stunner for me. Everytime I reach for this I'm immediately grateful I bought it. Its comforting without being smothering and one of the few d'Annam fragrances that projects beyond the skin. I looooove getting whiffs of this throughout the day. A little sweet. A little sensual. A little flirty. A little divine. My fav.

A Geiko in Kyoto hurriedly reaches into her peony-patterned makeup bag while getting ready. White as snow powder promptly spills all over the inside, coating the case of her vivid red lipstick. She brushes away the powder, and it flutters into the air. Specks left behind on her silk robe are calmly whisked away. A bouquet of abundant magnolias in her reach soothe anticipation for her performance. Beauty, elegance, and grace at its finest

This isn’t my normal scent profile but when I sprayed it on skin it was an immediate love. It just smells like a motherly figure (I imagine that kimono is the mom and moonlight samurai is the dad and Sakura snow is their little girl). It is super powdery but not baby powder but like flour! Like the feeling of rubbing flour between your index finger and your thumb. It smells like the color baby pink very silky smooth it’s stunning.

This is, quite simply, the most beautiful perfume. It features creamy magnolias perfectly balanced with textural rice powder and a touch of vintage lipstick. Wearing this, I feel undeniably feminine and beautiful. It is incredibly comforting, too, it literally envelopes you in a soft, silky aura that stays with you throughout the day. Love, love, love. Forever.

To me this is the photorealistic old lady smell and I love it. Just like the room my late great grandmothers would stay in during thanksgiving and I’d sneak in their room to yap and listen to their gossip. So comforting and I will be getting a bottle for those days I could use that extra tlc. Don’t know how they did it but I’m so happy to have found this!

This scent is very simple and pleasant. It smells soft, powdery, and delicate. In a way, it reminds me of a bar of soap because it smells so clean. It definitely smells like the notes it's supposed to, with the rice and powder notes being the most prominent, the other notes follow closely and tie in very well to create an overall well balanced fragrance.

Very lovely. I’m very happy that the powedery and lipstick notes aren’t too overpowering, ratherly they feel soft and tender with the silk and magnolia notes. The rice is only noticeable if you try to smell this long enough. Nice sillage and longevity, not extremely long lasting nor does it smell too far. I’d say this is perfect for fancy events.

On my skin, I personally do not find this to be overly powdery as I'm not the biggest fan of that. I very much smell the rice and flour as well as silk. I am not sure how something can smell like silk, but when I smell this I think yeah that's exactly it. That's what it smells like. This is beautiful and unique.

So many notes I dislike.. but in this masterpiece they somehow work. To my surprise this is one of my favorites out of the collection! It smells super feminine, gentle, a bit powdery, but just enough not to make it vintage. If Orpheon had a more feminine version this would be it. I love it!

Smells like a beautiful woman powdering her face as she wears an expensive silk robe, with lipstick stains on the sleeves. It’s powdery, softly floral, silky smooth, and lipstick heavy. A very simplistic scent as it’s fairly linear all the way through, but still very charming and romantic.

Very starchy opening that settles into a beautiful powdery musk. The reviewer below beat me to it - The dry down smells identically to Diptyque’s Orpheon, which is one of my favorite scents! Definitely a comforting, powdery scent that’s perfect for everyday use.

Kimono is a beautifully blended warm and comforting fragrance. For me, it is rice forward in the opening and then it dries down into this warm powdery and cosmetic floral. It envelopes you in a delicate cloud of nostalgia.

Like opening up my mother's old mahogany closet where she keeps her fancy silk sarees she wears to weddings, with the faint ghost of perfumes past still lingering on them. Vintage-inspired, evocative, beautiful.

This is a stunning vintage, feminine, powdery scent. It makes me feel comfortable and elegant. Since I've had it, I've felt like I can wear it at any occasion, at any time of day or year.

Very powdery in the best way! This is warm comforting clean and calming like being wrapped up in a comforter straight out of the dryer. This might be my new sleep scent.

The best scent I've sampled from D'Annam by far. Cocooning powdery starchy airy floral delight. I truly didn't expect the rice note to shine in the way it does here.

reminds of me watching my mum get ready to go out in the 2000s, it smells like a vanity box. Kinda in love with it, I love the lipstick note it feels unique.

Somehow smells exactly like my Korean grandma in a very sweet way (she always smells good) made me teary on the first sniff. Very soft fragrance.

Reminded me of SJP fragrances , the musky one ( forgot the name ) but with an additional lipstick nuance and mild pretty florals

it’s so beautiful very soft and delicate a lot of rice in the opening and a very powdery dry down

I’ve smelled hundreds of fragrances and only a few came close to this one. 100/10

It's okay for me. Objectively, it's really **very beautiful** and a VERY good value for the quality. It's one of the most unique creations I've smelled in some time. It's worth trying, for sure. The quality is pretty excellent given the huge use of synthetics nowadays. Definitely more femme. Lasts an eternity and has very big sillage. Spray sparingly. You go nose blind to it quickly, but your neighbors will definitely notice your unique aura. Personally, I had hoped the magnolia,powder,and rice notes would be stronger. What comes out is a more generic soft floral that kind of smells like all the other floral fragrances out there. Not "white flowers", and no lily of the valley or sharp neroli. It's difficult to describe, but is both recognizable and unusual at the same time. Familiar, but unique. The powder notes in the base were also kind of vague, but I don't mean that in an "exquisitely blended" sort of way. Thankfully the heliotropin content is quite low, so it doesn't wind up being choking. (Still looking for a good rice and silk scent.) It seems like the sort of scent that would change quite a lot based on chemistry. Based on the notes, it should totally be my style. But it's a hard pass for this powder/makeup scent lover. Some genuine orris root would have gone a long way to make me like it, or to have seriously dialed up the silk note. Clean silk has a very specific (kind of unusual actually) protein odor mixed with the scent of rushes. And it's here. You can smell it. It just needs to be amped up a lot alongside the magnolia. With that said, this is really beautiful and does smell like I imagine a neatly folded and boxed antique furisode would smell. It's so delicate and lovely, almost fragile. Innocent and soft. Orpheline.

Feminine, youthful floral 'powdery', 'floral' and 'intensely feminine' could scare people, and maybe give the impression of it being a dated women's perfume (some might think a "grandma scent") but this is all of those things while being very youthful and inoffensive. as it dried down i was able to detect all of the notes listed here except silk. i definitely could detect the flour note. it's a pretty unique, weird fragrance in that way. the only thing i dont like, this 'lipstick' note. it is interesting that you can have a realistic lipstick note. i don't think that's something you actually want to smell like. my mom used to have this chanel lipstick, and i guess at one point i smelled it for no reason as a kid, and it has a distinctly waxy, musty quality to it beneath the fragrance added in, and i pick that up in kimono as well. idk if that was intentional or not, i just wish that was not in the fragrance. i sampled this and bergamask, a notoriously long lasting fragrance, on the same day. the next day, when i woke up, i could still smell both bergamask and kimono on their respective test strips. so i dont know why most people are voting longevity as moderate. maybe it only performs that way on paper but i was very impressed when i could smell kimono even after 10 hours. because of the marketing for this fragrance line there's going to be a lot of comparison to japanese culture, women, music, history etc. i think this scent is culture neutral i dont think it smells distinctly japanese or anything like that, anyone could wear this. it really didnt conjure any images in my head of japanese culture or history when i tried it, but i can understand the inspiration.

It’s very feminine, clean, and sensual. I imagine a woman wearing this as a provocative, playful, intimate, more about flirtation than sex. It feels like something she’d wear to invite her partner closer, to the bedroom even, while keeping the composure but very intentional. I picture light lipstick, a natural flush on her cheeks, and that effortless desire to look pretty even when going to bed. The fragrance feels inviting, warm, and seductive, again, intimate, it is not a going out to a date perfume, most to the I am coming back from a date and I feel like wearing this perfume at my place with my date. When I smell it up close, there’s a slightly funky, almost organic smell like pressing your nose directly into a fresh flower petal. I think it is the magnolia note. This is not unisex to my nose. As a man who owns many unisex and even female-leaning perfumes, this one clearly feels designed for women.

This perfume reminds me of the smell of the nail polish remover I used as a kid in the 90s, specifically the kind that came in a tub with the foam, and the foam had a slit in the middle where you would dunk your finger to remove the nail polish. I don't know if that kind of nail polish remover is still a thing. One time I got in trouble because I accidentally spilled it on a wooden coffee table, and when I tried to wipe it up, the finishing on the table started coming off. Oops. I don't bring the nail polish remover association as a negative thing, Kimono made me feel nostalgic. I love it when perfumes bring up specific memories. That said, I don't think the scent suits me, personally. I have tried White Rice along with Kimono, and WR is more my speed. I'm still interested in trying more of d'Annam's stuff, too.

Wow what an interesting and rapid development. It ends of course, as I expected it to, like petal soft baby oil on fresh skin. But the open! Pulling the lid off a pot of steaming rice, toasted to nutty perfection. White Rice from the Enchanting Vietnam collection back with some punch! Its delicious and sticky and like White Rice dims quite a bit. But before the final stage there is a moment where I can pick apart each individual note that is listed. Which is odd! I don't pay much mind to notes as they aren't an ingredient list and are obviously subjective but so clearly I see them. I wish I could stop time and stay there, a little pile of compact powder, warm rice, expensive lipstick, and fresh cut magnolia on a little tray in front of me, wrapped in silks with the breeze through the window.

Dang it! I bought the Memories of Japan sampler and while I usually get overwhelmed or disappointed by samplers this has been such a pleasant surprise. I love so many of the scents. I knew I would like Strawberry Mochi (I did and full bottle acquired) Kimono was not one I expected to fall in love with. In fact on first sniff on paper I thought "meh". Its powdery and a bit vintage feeling and I don't usually like lipstick notes in fragrances. I tried on skin a couple weeks later and it made such a difference. Still powdery but the lipstick note calms down and I was able to detect the warm rice note. It felt cozy and nostalgic. I kept thinking it felt familiar but can't place what it is. It reminds me of the marketing for Phlur Missing Person (which I do not like).

Wasn't checking for this at all and didn't know they had it, but I tried d'Annam Kimono impromptu in store and immediately kept saying I smelled something like fabric. It was weird, but I could feel the fabric in my fingers from smelling it. Weird in a good way; a clean smelling fabric. Not laundry detergent, but clothes already cleaned, hung, and ready to be worn. The sales associate immediately stated silk was a note which was so great to hear and bizarre. It's fresh and not a powder-bomb, as you may think from the rice powder note. I get a hint of lipstick sweetness but it's freshened up, not stale or too sweet. Doesn't last the longest, maybe 3 hours, but I smell it while it lasts. A very nice clean fragrance.

Very very magnolia forward to the point of drowning everything in the beginning. Once that quietens down though, silky and powdery undertones of what I would imagine a kimono smelling like I guess. Smells like someone else's grandma when she was younger, dated but not an old person smell. Or a girl with expensive makeup wearing a kimono and a magnolia perfume. I like it though I'm not sure its something I would wear (but its still cold out so we shall see) . Its summer and spring for sure and an outdoorsy scent to me, like a garden party. Might spritz a little on my silk scarves.

Such a wonderful nostalgic smell. It feels like being a little girl and preparing for your first dance recital and your mother pulls a lipstick out of her giant well worn handbag and tells you to pucker your lips as you finally get to put on some of her grown up lipstick. Over the years, the novelty of wearing lipstick has worn off as it has become part of a routine but somehow this scent reignites the first time where your lips are painted a shade of bright red and your smile has never been wider. So masterfully crafted, evokes so many fond memories!

inside of a vintage makeup bag in the best way. very elegant. there’s clean, powdery facets to it. the rice is more apparent before it dries down. it doesn’t smell of steamed rice, more the starchy rice before it has been rinsed and cooked. after it dries down, it maintains its clean, powdery scent but there’s a noticeable waxy lipstick note. in the end, if you don’t press your nose to your skin and only smell wafts of it, it smells like a starched and ironed dress shirt that’s been hung to wear the next day.

This smelled very generic at first to me. But after wearing it, I wanted to come back to this scent over and over. It is indeed not extraordinary, but it's well done. A balanced and easy to wear scent for every occasion. It doesn't justify the price though, also here, the longevity is way too poor for the price tag. If this scent would be cheaper, I'd definitely buy a full bottle of it as it's super easy to wear and it smells just gorgeous, powdery, like lipstick, feminine.

Looking for more lipstick based perfumes. This is a quiet, beautifully put together woman. I really love lipstick fever by JHAG or Crush Me by Michela Mezz. So I thought this sounded right in that wheel house. This is exactly every single note listed. The silk stays strong while the powdery lipstick blends in the background. This is so beautifully done though, the more it dries down on me, the more I enjoy it. Will have to give it a few more days to determine like or love.

Agree with the reviewers claiming that it smells like the Nivea cream. That's an awesome composition of silk and rice on a balanced floral base. As the floral base: I get some peony, lily, magnolia, and rose. (I suppose people claim a lipsticky fascet by the powdery rose nuance) Too mature for me, at least for now. But that's a gorgeous silk composition, might be my fave in this category. Can be a signature scent; otherwise, I would call it to be a spring scent.

This one is really good. I see people say it smell like old lipstick and makeup and all that, but as a male, this is AMAZING. Its so gentle sweet floral with a smoothness that is undescribable. Out of the discovery-set this would be my top 4. And if i have to be honest i would wear this myself, even though its femenine. There is just this one thing that there is something in the background which kinda ruins it. for now 4,5/5

starts off with a powdery floral. love the starchy rice note on my skin and the subtle lipstick!! but around 30 minutes later, the dry down really reminds me of dyptyque's orpheon so it kind of lost its uniqueness to me. also, the scent doesn't stay too long on my skin. still a really pretty, feminine scent. good for every day, any season, but can see it being saved for special/fancy occasions :)