HM

EDT Review We are all used to apreciate or value more an EDP than an EDT. Hanae Mori proposes us an EDT and an EDP that are very similar in both scent and performance. Strangely enough, both bottles and prices are also quite similar. The EDT version is a tiny bit more subtle than the EDP version. The fragrance is quite versatile and it suits women as well. I would judge this fragrance to be more unisex than masculine. It does fit well in mid season - Autumn or Spring, day or night. It has got a wide weather latitude and it's quite safe to use it in Summer nights and Winter days. I already asked a handfull of people for identic vibes or look alike fragrances. No one gave me any positive answer. There is an Iris middle note that blended with the top lemon and lavender, plus the bottom notes of dark chocolate, amber and cedar, creates some (faint) ressemblance with the current version of Dior Homme, although I don't consider it a dominant vibe. As no one around me shares the my opinion I'll wait for some fellow reviewer to share the same opinion I have. The fragrance opens with a creamy sweet accord of lemon and black currant with a touch of lavender. The lavender does persist for the second phase where you notice some flowerish scents - mainly iris - in a semi sweet background (is it the awakening of an early vanilla note?). The bottom notes are very rich and responsible for the sweet aura around this scent. Vanilla, tonka and chocolate take over and do play the major role during the drydown, supported by sandal, amber and cedar fainter notes. It does have a nice longevity (8+ hours with 3 sprays), but an average sillage (3~4 feet) and average projection that lasts between 2 and 3 hours. You won't get neither darkness, nor animalic vibes. You'll get a sweet zen lull for long hours that will make you feel good and secure. Like I said before, it's almost an unisex fragrance and a very sexy fragrance indeed! Let's see the math of HM for men: - Scent opening: 8.5 (very very good - my judgement) - Scent drydown: 9.0 (very very good - my judgement) - Longevity: 8.0 (8 hours+ with 3 sprays) - Sillage: 7.0 (about 3 feet for 3 hours with 3 sprays; projects for 2~3 hours); practical skin scent till the 8th or 9th hour. - Uniqueness: 9.0 (unique, very well blended giving me some vibes of other fragrances like Dior Homme, but similar to none; Hanae Mori EDP is out of this equation) - Versatility: 9.0 (almost everywhere, but with better choices for clubbing and formal events. Don't use it while working out or in the beach) - Wearability: 9.5 (high during Spring and Autumn,... quite adequate during Winter or Summer as well, but avoid extreme heat or cold). - Compliments: 8.5 (It's a universal pleaser, without being a compliment magnet) - Quality: 9.5 (my judgement - does not suggest even a small vibe of being cheap or synthetic. It does smell expensive; with a little better performance it would deserve a 10.0) - Presentation: 8.5 (discrete but very nice. Excellent cap and sprayer.) - Price: 10.0 (100 ml tester for 21 Euros + VAT) Average: 8.77 / 10.00 It is one of my favourite fragrances. Will I buy it again? Yes for sure. Will I recommend it? Of course I will, mainly due to its alluring scent, quality and price.

The crescent moon hangs low in the stillness of the night, almost close enough to kiss the earth. A symphony of crickets fill the warm night air with life. You sit in your shrine facing a lone candle praying for answers in an uncertain world. The shadows dance throughout the room like demons taunting your sincerity. The pale moon's glow trickles in through the passing clouds - you can almost taste its lemony luminescence. A cooling wind disrupts your tense tranquility - a rush of powdered roses and ancient iris invade your steady breaths. The rustle of greenery behind you nearly disguises the gentle footsteps quietly approaching. You feel a warm hand wrap around you neck and chest - it pulls you tightly against her bosom. You taste her pale, creamy skin as it brushes across your lips, an aged vanilla and amber dances on your tongue. She leans closely, "You've prayed enough for one night...any more and they will willfully neglect you." Her voice is as warm as her skin and hides a faint smile. Her hair falls across your face for a moment, traces of chocolate and sandalwood interlace with floral breeze and the musk of your meditative skin. You can't help but smile...she wins this battle every night. You know she will always win...and you wouldn't have it any other way. Day 92 - Alone Listening to: Moby - Porcelain Notes: Again, this was something in my collection that I had written off as too off putting to really enjoy on a regular basis. Something about all the favorable reviews and likening it to lemon tart or cream - those reviews might hold true for some, but it really misses the point in a big way. This is a Japanese perfume house and while they may have strayed toward more mainstream offering as of late, this release still holds some of the obscurity of Japanese beauty found through simplicity (quite unlike Hollywood's obsession with platinum blondes, botox, and fake breasts - tatsteless and loud). The scent indeed starts with a noticeable lemon and something that is vaguely creamy and powdery. It has taken me years to be able to tease out the influence of the grassy notes and currant mingling with a powdered rose and iris - it is surprisingly beautiful and equally tranquil. The scent lingers in this sweet, lush citric and floral stage for quite some time before picking up notes of a soft wood and dusty cacao with a soothing patchouli and ambery musk. Time wears the amber and florals thin and leaves an oakmoss and patchouli musk that sings green and powdery - the whole scene unfolds over a constant 8 hours and wears a little more beautifully in warm weather. I can honestly say that I love this simple and beautiful creation and I think it should be worn by anyone who finds these notes interesting.

WOW! I finally picked up Hanae Mori 'HM' Eau de Toilette after having it on my wish list for at least a decade. I didn't know what to expect, but I knew it was supposedly a great performing, unique scent. I got all of this and more, plus a pleasant surprise towards the dry down which I'll explain below. The initial blast is fresh citrus, lemon notes, soft woods and heavy tonka bean and vanilla, which I've never smelled anything like before. The unlikely combination of lemon and tonka bean in the opening is both weird and gorgeous at the same time. Nothing else smells like this in my 200+ bottle collection. It's amazing. As it settles down, so many notes come through. Chocolate, rose, jasmine, berries, and subtle amber in the low end come together like nothing you've ever smelled. To be honest, this could be unisex, as it comes across as a citrus, floral fragrance with a sweet vanilla and amber base that smells gorgeous on either a man or a woman. In some parts, which was surprising to me, its smells like Calvin Klein's 'Eternity For Women' perfume, but with a heavy tonka bean and amber base for a masculine edge. And for some reason, it smells wonderful. Many hours later, it becomes a sweet vanilla and floral skin scent that sticks in and becomes you. Like an expensive hotel soap or shampoo, this smells very classy and sophisticated and will have people asking you what it is because it is so unique. If you like Issey Miyake 'Leau d'Issey' or Calvin Klein 'CK One', this can be described as somewhat similar to those on the top end, but with added base notes of amber, tonka bean and jasmine. With eight sprays (neck, shoulders, chest and forearms), I get a very impressive 7-10+ hours of longevity, with excellent projection and heavy sillage for at least five or six hours. This is actually very strong, is easily detected at arms length and can fill a room. It holds onto skin, digs in and becomes your skin scent. It stays on clothes and fabrics for several days and can extend your longevity and projection to 12-15+ hours if applied over clothes. Performance is fantastic on this. If you are a mature gentlemen with style who dresses preppy or fashionable, this is an absolute must. It can work on a man or a woman, smells gorgeous and lasts a very long time. It is NOT a safe blind buy, so you may want to order a sample first unless you are an experienced collector and know what these notes smell like. I absolutely love this scent, and ordered some backup bottles as well as the EDP version. Highly recommended.

EDP review: To give a little background to my subjectivity, I generally do not prefer super sweet/floral fragrances. A*Men is the sweetest thing I own and I enjoy it, but mostly because of the complexity/woodiness that lurks behind all the sugar. That being said, I rolled the dice and decided to BB this based on the positive reviews and affordability. I also am willing to expand my olfactory horizons- if its good, its good, right? My first impression was that this is quite feminine, almost an overtly woman's perfume. I suppose that is because of the heavy floral notes and sweetness, but whoa, I was not prepared for that initial blast. I get a strong surface lemon scent, especially on the clothes, but there is a lot of floral action going on in the mid range, which hits pretty quickly. I get absolutely no chocolate or vanilla in the first hour, just sweet floral notes that keep radiating. Longevity is very good. I applied this at night, and after a few hours I could detect a hint of spiciness and powdery vanilla underneath the flowers. I was generally pleased with it and went to bed. When I woke up in the morning, it was easily noticeable, only the lemon and florals had faded to the background and I FINALLY could smell the chocolate. To me, this is the best stage, the deep drydown- not one or two hours, but maybe four or five after applying. HM changes from a bright lemony sweet floral to a breezy vanilla chocolate gourmand. Bear in mind, this is not cloying, heavy or gourmand in the usual sense. All very polite and lovely, like a Japanese dessert- Castella rather than cheesecake. Overall, this is a very unique men's perfume. I have never smelled anything quite like it. HM is a chimera, flitting between masculine and feminine, but firmly neither. It is much more interesting than other quasi-feminine scents, as it reveals its notes one at a time through it's lifetime. Its an impressionist, Debussy and Monet, giving us glimpses and shades rather than a complete picture. This is one of the more fascinating scents I've tried and will enjoy wearing it on occasion. Update 12/17- cold weather masterpiece! The gourmand in this comes alive and HM becomes quite warm and captivating. Try this on cold days- so amazing.

Hanae Mori, aka "yeah, that seems like a good note, throw it in there." Before I blow an Asian Studies Major panic attack, I would like to say that the way you pronounce Hanae Mori is ha-na-eh moh-ree. I keep hearing people try to pronounce it in different ways, every time I hear someone say ha-nay, a little piece of me dies. Well, it's been 8 hours and it still feels like I just put it on. This stuff is a floral, a fruity, and a gourmand all at the same time. I keep hearing people describe it as one of the 3, but really it's just... all 3, depending on what stage you smell it at. I'm at a point in my day where it stops being so sharp (and it is sharp at first) and I'm like, "oh, so THAT'S why people say it's gourmand-y. Listen, I'm gonna cut to the chase, this is what a hot samurai guy wears. This is like... it's late at night in feudal Japan on a comfortable summer night and all you can see are faint lights through the rice paper doors in your room in a light nightgown and you're waiting for your hot samurai husband and his tired, achy muscles to come out of the bath... And while you're just about dozing off he comes in in one of those light, airy sleeping kimonos and it isn't tied very tight so it's slipping off his shoulder a bit. And he gets under the covers behind you and that slight gust of air from lifting up the blanket just wafts this smell toward you, and he puts his strong hand on your shoulder... Ok, cool. Most embarrassing thing I've ever written on this website. Now all of you know what I think about when I wear this to bed. 10/10, if I inhale this too deeply it might make me cry.