Hanae Mori N01

I got a bottle of this in a swap last summer, took one sniff, and quickly dismissed it as too sugary-fruity-vanilla. I don't enjoy the original Hanae Mori very much (too bubblegum sweet for me), so I might have been a little biased against No. 1. But while pulling out some bottles for to put up for swap recently, I decided to give it another shot—and I am really enjoying it! I think it's partly that my tolerance/appreciation for sweet and gourmand fragrances has grown quite a bit over the recent months, but I also do think this is a much nicer frag than I initially gave it credit for. It *is* sweet and fruity and vanilla, but not screechingly so. This is a soft, milky, creamy vanilla with a zesty fruit opening and berries mixed throughout. Speaking of zesty: I just sprayed some on tonight after taking a shower and, for the first time, am getting a lot of lemon, well into the 40-minute mark. Which is a surprise because I hadn't gotten much lemon in any previous wearings, and what lemon I did get was more of a lemon custard/lemon meringue vs. this more fresh lemon note... Curious! So I do still have things to discover about No. 1. Aside from this particular wearing, I would say that No. 1 smells *exactly* like Givenchy Hot Couture EDT if you took away all of that frag's smokey/rooty (vetiver?) notes. It's the younger, bubblier cousin to Hot Couture's clove-smoking beatnik, perhaps. Longevity and sillage are light-moderate... so spray some more! I am glad I hung onto this one and look forward to seeing how it wears in the days to come. P.S. If anyone has a spare HM butterfly cap lying around that they don't want, please PM me! My bottle came cap-less and could use a little hat for itself. :)

This scent requires a little patience: I loved this fruity, woodsy, vanilla-y fragrance when I tried it on at the store. So, I bought a bottle. I was horrified when I sprayed it the first time and it smelled overpoweringly, cloyingly of black current. I went back to the perfume counter and asked what the problem was. The salesperson wasn't sure, but thought that the tester was "old." Determined, I continued using the fragrance. Finally in about a month, the scent mellowed out into the fabulous vanilla experience I had at the store. Whew! This has been my favorite perfume ever since it came out. I am really sad that it's been discontinued and is now hard to find. Fortunately, Neiman Marcus is still selling it!

I smell blackberries, and lemon custard (presumably the sum of citrus and vanilla), but what really makes this one stand out is a mouth puckering tart and slightly acerbic note. It reminds me of black tea and verbena, and has something in common with L'Occitan's Verbena edt. Perhaps this is what they are calling bergamot and grapefruit. Whatever it is, it's lovely. The dry down is a slightly powdery version of the lemon custard note, a faintly sweet skin scent. I don't normally care for vanilla gourmandes, but the bright tart top notes set this apart from the rest. I can't stop sniffing my wrist.

I bought this back when it first came out and have received numerous compliments (mostly from men) when wearing it. Definitely strong on the berries and I do get vanilla a bit, but there is also something deeper and a little bit...spicy? And kind of sexy. I sprayed it on one wrist last early evening and can still smell it at noon the next day - I find the longevity excellent. I still think it smells fantastic although it's not one I reach for as often as I once did, but that's the danger of perfume collecting. :)

Thank you so much for adding this to the database!!! This is one of the few blackberry fragrances I can wear. It smells like warm raspberries and blackberries, jasmine, and musk. I am surprised to see black currant, grapefruit, and bergamot in the notes, because usually those notes create a tart, crisp, or refreshing effect on me. This fragrance is soft, fruity, and warm...not loud, nor sharp. It's also not your typical floral-fruity fragrance. I love it!