Sumo Wrestler

Sampling this made me start to appreciate powdery scents. At first sniff, straight up baby powder. This may have actually been my impression the first couple of times I wore it. When temperatures dropped below freezing is when Miss Sumo really started to bloom to my nose. A slightly animalic edge from the musks (this might contribute to the "diaper" impression others have mentioned), a creamy coziness from the heliotrope and sandalwood, and a vaguely herbal sophistication from what I assume to be the anise and eucalyptus, although it's hard for me to pick out any of the notes individually since they're well blended. I feel so elegant wearing this. Other powdery scents I've tried like Habanita and Shalimar convey elegance but in a very vintage and feminine way, conjuring images of lipsticks and powder compacts and strings of pearls on an antique vanity. But the elegance of Sumo Wrestler (what an unelegant name for an elegant perfume lol) is more unisex, meditative, minimalist, effortless (perhaps all this is to say, very "Japanese"). It's the girl at the party who slays in a tailored suit and no makeup and only speaks when she has something to say. It's also that girl the next morning, swaddled in a blanket and reading a book by a snow-blanketed view. Ah, the duality/versatility of an elegant and cozy fragrance. Lasts all day too, to top things off. Considered full sizing but given the price, I'll continue on my newly sparked powdery fragrance journey before settling down.

Wow! I bought 7 samples from J-scent recently, and just threw in Sumo Wrestler because of the positive reviews I'd been seeing around. Let me just preface this with the fact that I have typically *aggressively* avoided any fragrances with baby powder notes. But this was a new experience for me! It starts out toeing the line of straight baby powder (which had me ready to scrub), but quickly moves deeper, with the eucalyptus and vanilla dancing their way gracefully into frame. Then the sandalwood and patchouli come in to ground things, keeping you from floating away. It immediately gave me a picture of being in an old, dark, wooden building in Japan. It's spring time, and a cool breeze blows in through the open shoji screen. It feels like a reassuring hug from a friend. When I catch whiffs of it throughout the day, I envision someone who is put-together, who exudes a calming presence, and yet emits an aura of mystery and sensuality. By the end of the day, it settles to a mostly soft (but not gourmand) powdery vanilla. On me, I would say this fragrance is perfectly unisex, leaning feminine by the end of the day. It has quickly and shockingly become one of my favorite fragrances. Just bought a FB yesterday!

There was a Chankonabe restaurant near the train station where I used to live. Chankonabe is a Japanese stew, a one-pot dish commonly eaten in vast quantity by sumo wrestlers as part of their weight-gain diet. I always thought Sumo Wrestlers were a bunch of unattractive over weight comedians ....excuse my language ....until the day I encountered a tall huge Sumo Wrestler wearing Yukata walked pass me ....HE SMELT DIVINE!!! It was shocking, a mind blowing experience. Then I found out that they used special braised oil called bintsuke-abura made out of Japanese wax tree for their samurai hair do. This J- Scent SUMO WRESTLER is not so strong as bintsuke-abura but definitely have that vibe. It has the sweet powdery nuance from violet and heliotrope, then the incense come out reminding me that Sumo Wrestling is a Japanese Shinto religion ritual ....and then the slight musk create a sensual feeling at the end. I’m glad patchouli is not overwhelming. This is my top favorite among their collection. HANAMACHI in which the name relates to Geisha is not on Fragrantica yet is also becoming my favorite ....first sniff on paper resembled Amouage Interlude Woman. Please update the database (3/6/2019).

Sumo Wrestler is a fantastic scent with a bad name. I know, I know... the name comes from the idea that it's supposed to smell like the stuff sumo wrestlers use in their hair, but I think the name is leading people astray. Too many people seem to be judging the smell based on the name rather than what they smell. To me, Sumo Wrestler is a very dapper scent which walks the line between smelling modern and classic, though it leans modern, and I'd say it's even romantic. Yes, romantic, in a gentlemanly way. It's charming. Sumo Wrestler smells like the powdery side of Boy Chanel, the musk of Helmut Lang Eau De Cologne, the amber of M7, and a bit of the base of 1725 by Histoires De Parfums. It's a complex scent that is surprisingly easy to wear. Sumo Wrestler has mainstream appeal without being mainstream. It's the sort of thing you'd wear on a nice date, especially in autumn, but it wears well year round except on hot summer days. Even if Sumo Wrestler was priced at $160, I'd recommend it. But at $80? It's a steal. Forget about the name. Pick up the bottle and spray it. Judge the scent by how it smells. tl;dr: Thumbs up. WAY up!

I just got about 24 samples from LuckyScent and this was my favorite of the bunch. The overall effect is like a really smooth, powdery musk. It's linear, but there's a lot going on within it. I wouldn't be surprised if people have all different interpretations. For me, I get an image of a fine grey wool sweater or a luxurious rich hand soap. I'm really happy I found this. I had been looking for a nice wearable musk, but most of the top recommended ones have ylang-ylang in them (Jovan White Musk, Kiehl's Original Musk, Body Shop White Musk, etc...). I don't like ylang-ylang, it's too feminine and "indolic" for me. But I really like heliotrope. The combination works great here, in my opinion. The notes seem accurate, although the box has a few more listed on the pyramid (orange, cinnamon, orange flower, jasmine, labdanum). The sandalwood is very creamy and the patchouli and eucalyptus are not as harsh as in some other scents. There seems to be a complex vanilla accord going on, but I think that's a combination of sandalwood/heliotrope/anise.