Strawberry Mochi

Ohhh wowwow, this one was the least expected, but it turned out to be my favorite from the brand!! Coming from Japan, I can honestly say this is a quite realistic take on Daifuku (mochi filled with sweet red bean paste). Right after I sprayed it, I immediately smelled that soft, fluffy, slightly tangy mochi delicately wrapping the red bean paste. The mochi part even captures the white rice powder that lightly coats the outside. If you’ve ever had fresh Daifuku, you’ll know exactly what I mean! I know there are a few perfumes out there with a rice or mochi note, but this one has its unique charm. It feels tangy, slightly lactonic, and soft in the core, but the faint dusting of powder surrounds it. That subtle powdery layer gives the scent an airy, delicate texture that feels really special. As for the red bean paste, the sweetness is perfectly balanced. Just like real Daifuku, where it's sweet enough to feel delightful, but not too sweet to make you feel sick after eating them. I also somehow caught red bean skin, like in Tsubuan Daifuku, which is adding depth and texture to the composition. I don’t know how to explain it better, but to me this feels like an "earthy" kind of gourmand. It smells like something real, handmade from scratch with care, not processed or overly stylized. That being said, I didn’t pick up a strong strawberry note. Just a faint fruity touch in the background of my scent bubble (i.e. away from where I sprayed), which is making the red bean paste lighter and adding a hint of fruitiness. The strawberry itself is not in the Daifuku, but rather the aroma of strawberry is lightly infused in the paste. This is my nostalgic scent back home. Very comforting, tangy, fluffy, and yummy!! I would love to try layering this with a green tea perfume to have my afternoon tea time:) Would like to get a FB sometimes soon.

I love it, but I see why many would not. “Strawberry Mochi” fragrances are marketed to be overly sweet, creamy, and strawberry-heavy, which is why this bottle is not a safe blind buy for sure. If you’ve ever had a real strawberry mochi, it isn’t that sweet of a dessert. In fact, this perfume accurately captures the scent of a real strawberry mochi. The opening is very ricey and starch-forward (honestly hyper-realistic — wow! just like when you bite into one), and it dries down to something sweet, slightly vanilla, with a hint of strawberry and mellowed out by the red bean. I’m happy that my skin chemistry agrees with the dry-down. On me, it becomes a pleasant, sweet scent. In the dry down, it feels very “clean girl,” like I just showered with some sort of organic sweet rice body wash, and it’s lingering lol. I saw reviews that people don’t get that from this fragrance. d'Annam really takes you through the experience of eating a strawberry mochi: ricey and starchy on the outside, subtle sweetness on the inside. Really claiming back the meaning of "strawberry mochi" in the fragrance industry.

I have fallen in love with this one. It was weird and earthy right out of the bottle, and was the second perfume sample I ever bought. My first thought was "I'm not sure I'll like this". But I put a little bit on my wrist just to see how it unfolded. And wow I'm so glad I did, it's become one of my very favorite perfumes, and has opened me to the curiosity of trying any and every perfume that interests me, despite its unusual opening notes! How exciting. This one feels so warm and comforting to me, I don't get the sweetness so much as a silky smooth rice. The lightest hint of earthy strawberry sweetness, but nothing like a saccharine cotton candy or milk chocolate. I tried it because I read it described as softly sweet like kitten fur, like the scent of a clean but well-loved blanket. That's how it feels to me. I have been wearing it to bed most nights, its so comforting to fall asleep with. I love it!

my new signature scent!! it literally smells just like a mochi.. less strawberry though but that’s ok bc im more here for the mochi than the strawberry so any strawberry at all is bonus (and strawberry scents are much much more common than mochi scents so it’s nice to not smell stereotypical). it smells like rice but doughy like a photorealistic mochi, and then it transitions into the red bean paste note which is sweet like it’s vanilla’s cousin but not too sweet, and its subtle too (my mom has a sensitive nose but she loves strawberry mochi on me), and then the base notes are like. less distinctively mochi but still pleasantly-not-overly-sweet gourmand (and maybe this is where the strawberry is?) and just one spritz lasted overnight on me...

The opening gives a burst of artificial strawberry, reminiscent of a strawberry gum or candy I had as a kid that I can't quite put my finger on. The strawberry fades pretty quickly and evolves into the starchy mochi. It has a very similar dna to White Rice, but with the addition of the sugar and red bean paste making it slightly sweeter than its sister. If you're looking for a gourmand that's both savory and sweet smelling in an understated way, give this one a sample. I'm not sure if I love it, but I can't stop smelling my sleeve, so that's a good sign. EDIT: I've worn it a few more times. I'm not a fan of the artificial strawberry in opening, but I love the dry down. If it weren't for the strawberry I'd probably get a full bottle.