Usubeni (Rosy Cheeks)

Oh I love this! A beautiful clean, softly powdery white floral that is as much a white musk as it is a white floral. It reminds me very much of fresh laundry/laundry detergent/fabric softener/dryer sheets in the best way possible! Not in a hyper realistic way, more like a perfume version of that smell. Like if you took that exact smell but reimagined it with expensive, high quality ingredients/raw materials, such as those used in niche perfumery, this is what you’d get! This one leans in a distinctly white floral direction, and yes it is definitely lily, but the fruity freshness of the peach gives it a brightness that also makes you think jasmine+gardenia-of the clean, soapy, laundry or face-cream variety. Like the jasmine and gardenia in Amouage Honour Woman. The musky/powdery side reminds me of scents like Puredistance White and TBS White Musk. It definitely has a soft cosmetic/face cream edge to it too, which is like the bow that ties it all together. I’m so glad I got to try this via a sample, because it isn’t something I likely ever would’ve tried otherwise, and while it certainly isn’t avant-garde or even made up of any even remotely daring or unique accords (it’s made up of some of the most common accords actually) it still somehow smells not quite anything else I’ve ever smelled before! The accords and notes may be common, but the way they’re blended is not! They may be safe, but they still are utilized here in a way that forms a totally unique scent profile that I can’t think of any dupes or even near-dupes for (and judging by the ‘reminds me of’ section, I am not alone in this). Now that I think about it, this actually kind of reminds me of like a Guerlain French Kiss where the raspberry is swapped out for white flowers and peach. They both have that same soft, slightly-moderately powdery, moderately sweet yet somehow still fresh and bright cosmetic/white musk backbone, but the “featured”/“spotlight” notes are different. Rosy Cheeks is a very apt name for this indeed! Smells like a really cute young lady, dressed in a nice beige wool coat with a fluffy hat, scarf, and gloves to match and a classic-but-modern structured leather purse (all of it styled classic but very modern at the same time and, above all, feminine & cute!), standing outside in the cold winter air, a blanket of snow on the ground, her cheeks and the tip of her nose rosy & blushed from the cold but she just smiles unbothered because she loves the winter wonderland around her. Like an anime girl haha. Idk, that’s just what I picture when I smell this! I’m sure I’m subconsciously heavily influenced by the name and brand + bottle style but I swear the scent also totally matches! This is quite well done not only as a scent, but as an entire concept. The whole thing works well together-the scent, the name, even the bottle (and I’m not really a fan of bottles like this, in fact if not for the sample I probably would’ve overlooked this because of the boring bottle, but after actually experiencing it I realize that the bottle actually fits the aesthetic with its minimalist indie-cute style). Definitely going on my to-buy list! PS another random thought that just hit me: this also totally reminds me of a clean/g-rated version of ELDO Putain de Palaces! This could be her innocent little sister haha

this is such a sparkly scent! it made me think of fizzy drinks, and i know this brand has a perfume called "ramune" so that's probably why my mind jumped to that particular fizzy drink. i do get the white florals, but it's secondary- this feels so fruit-forward to me- but it isn't the trendy fruits i'm used to smelling in fruit-forward perfumes. as the scent wafts up as i move around, i keep getting struck by such a specific tantalizing memory of eating pomegranates. this doesn't smell like pomegranate juice or that sort of heavy, dark dark red vibe- it's the light staining pink of using your hands to open a pomegranate, as the juice stains the fingers, and you eat the seeds individually... it's lovely, very cheerful and pretty.

I am sensing soapy lilies and gardenia, very big & bright white floral flowers that try to be a little green but the white florals are taking all the attention. Nod to Osmanthus (reminds me of Osmanthus by Ormonde Jayne-like note). Easter-like spring season. I'm trying to see the peach in all this but perhaps it was at the beginning and I missed it. A green floral scent that could be easily worn for 3 seasons: spring, fall, summer. I'm sorry @ Starsnek only gets the smell of nail polish remover from this one. This one is lovely to me.

Peach and apricot skin and lily and gardenia soap. A pretty clean soap and water scent. Musky but clean musk. There is an innocent sexuality here. My husband loves this one and I may buy a bottle. Strong enough to be noticed but soft enough that it comes across effortless. This is the perfume of the unassuming tease. Very pretty but just a touch naughty and that is the whole point.

Considering the lack of votes and reviews here, I thought I owed this my own. This is my current favorite of J-Scent’s feminine-leaning offerings. It has a safe, slightly soapy orange floral smell — leaning ever so laundry-detergenty — so I would say the note breakdown is accurate. It’s lovely, it’s calming, and it’s certainly not cheap-smelling. On my skin, it lasts for an impressive amount of time considering the ¥3500 price tag (in Tokyo at least). I’m sorry to the reviewer below, but I don’t get anything resembling acetone or other sharp chemicals in here. It’s mainly just soft, citrusy florals, and I think it’s well worth a try for those looking for a clean, office-safe floral scent.