Ume

UME by Keiko Mecheri On my skin, Ume is magnificent. It has the distinct air of sensually glamorous far eastern elegance and brings to mind Gion Kobu Maiko and Geiko magnificently attired in full performance kimono, dancing at the Kaburenjo theater at Miyako Odori spring festival. A resplendently golden fruity opening unfolds with streams of zesty bergamot and sparkling mandarin followed by an entrance of succulently-rich and deep plum. A glorious showering of luxuriantly spicy osmanthus petals then come showering joyously down across everything, covering it all in a nutty-apricot-tea-like velvet haze. A few delicate wisteria blossom strands flutter back and forth through the intoxicating mist, wafting tantalizing nuances of lilacs and cloves. A subtle splash of jasmine petals and freshly gathered patchouli provide an added element of refined sensuality. The magnificently blended moistly-crisp oakmoss is layed seamlessly atop an impeccably-clean and fresh-woody-cypress astringency which is distinctly of the Japanese hinoki variety, while the deep warmth of mahogany provides a flawlessly rich base. Rather like the sturdily elegant wooden stage boards of the Kaburenjo theater provide the perfect support for the exquisite splendor of the geisha performance above them. I sense the glittering silk screen byobu backdrop of the Kaburenjo stage, the swishing silks of the ancient style hikizuri kimono, the fluttering long sleeves of the young maiko, the faultless finish of the powdered geisha makeup like early morning sunlight on a white cloud, the jeweled black eyes gazing serenely out above tiny cupid-bowed crimson blood red lips, lacquered raven black hair coiffed elaborately with priceless hand-carved jade and silken floral ornaments nestled firmly within, effortlessly assuming positions of intense yet restrained expressiveness. The crowds immersed ...watching in rapture...applauding their favorite performers. The scent of joyful fruity flowers, and silk, and woods, and delicate spices entwined throughout. All this adoration, and usually I do not like chypre. I just love this one. Like the Gion Kobu geisha, famous for their unwavering and impeccable courtesy and grace, their sensual elegance, and their tremendously refined artistic demeanor.... this one has completely entranced me. Domo arigato gozaimasu and okini to Keiko Mecheri-san.

I love this so much. I'm a fan of many Keiko Mecheri fragrances and Umé is one of the best. When I first got a sample I had to get a full bottle before even thinking about writing a positive review - I didn't want to risk having more competition for the single bottles of this discontinued beauty that pop up on ebay from time to time. But now I got a rather old bottle with a purple fabric label and I'm happy to report that it smells just as stunning as the more recent sample I had before. This is a wonderful warm plum scent. On the one hand it's spicy and balsamic, but on the other hand it has a sparkly citrus opening and creamy floral heart that make it feel lighter and more versatile than other spiced dark fruit scents. In my opinion this can be worn almost all year round with the exception of hot summer days, but if I had to chose only one season to wear Umé, it would definitely be autumn. I can sense the peachy-clean osmanthus and also something rosy. I know camellia doesn't really have a scent, but it still makes sense to see it here as a perfume note - I guess I have smelled a similar accord in some camellia scented product. But of course the ume plum is the star of the show. I read that it's a different fruit from regular plums and closely related to apricots, so it's hard to say where the osmanthus starts and the plum ends. Even though there is no honey listed I get a sweet honeyed vibe in the drydown. At this stage all the tartness of the ume plum and citrus is gone and the spices have their time to shine. I can't discern a single spice note here, it's just so well blended. Now the perfume feels warm and dark, but a ray of floral light is still shining through it. Umé is something special, I'm sad that it's discontinued and I can't recommend it enough to anyone who likes warm, fruity, spicy fragrances. I've been dreaming about a similar fragrance with berries instead of plums, but there doesn't seem to be anything like that. I don't really find Umé similar to Euphoria, which is more tart and woody, or to Poison with its heady tuberose, but it's roughly in the same category. The performance is absolutely fine on me, long-lasting and projecting a nice little scent bubble without being overwhelming.

I think I'm not familiar enough with plums! I don't get them from this. But persimmon! Oh that comes through exquisitely for me. I even liken the spice to that in a perfectly ripe Fuyu. Eating a persimmon always makes me think of kissing, and so smelling it in Ume gives me frissons of sensual pleasure. That heavy-lidded languour of good loving with a new sweetheart. Very melty! I really appreciate the hinoki that sits quietly behind the flowers and fruit. Many of my husband's fragrances have hinoki in them in some capacity, so I'm reminded of him when I smell it and that just adds all the more to the sexy feeling I have wearing Ume. As a tea lover, I purr to the notes of oolong tea (jin xuan, specifically) I detect as the fragrance develops. It has that shimmering, ever-changing and barely graspable quality a good oolong has that can (honestly) get me drunk. I am crazy for jasmine (who isn't) and love the way it's grounded in the heavier or more thick notes, I guess from the fruits. I could wear this any time, I think, but it really gives me that late fall feeling: frost, dead leaves, early nights and walking through it all to meet your sweetheart; pink-cheeked and wool-scarved. Marvy.

This is a beautiful and heavenly perfume which has been lovingly created by the very respected house of Mecheri. Plum is one of my favourite notes and this fragrance opens with that lovely sweet smell of plum which makes you want to deeply inhale it at every occasion! This is not a rotten and fermenting plum that one gets in some fumes, but a beautiful and divine aroma that pleases the olfactory senses in a way that makes you want to skip and dance. I simply adore this scent and would pay anything for it as it's worth every penny. The notes are so well blended together and there is nothing synthetic or artificial. I find that this is fairly linear and what you smell initially is what you get 6/7 hours later. Gorgeous, beautiful, fruity and addictive frag. Fabulosity: a fruit and flower market at the start of the day, simply exquisite!

I second the Christmas theme here, I can't pinpoint it, but every year my Mom puts out this vine-type runner around the living room and it smells just like this. Or at least something she's putting up in the living room smells like this scent. I got a sample of this becuase it is in the same category as Mitsouko, and I was interested to see how the plum note came across. This isn't on the same level as Mitsouko (but what is, really) Nevertheless, this is a nice, well rounded fragrance that lasts in the medium range. **UPDATE** I pulled my sample back out now that the weather is cooling off. And I must say I'm liking this so, so much more now.This one really snaps, there is a wonderful spicy note that comes across, and it is quite sophisticated. Love it!

Ume was suggested to me by Ms. Mecheri herself in a shop, after Attar de Roses, because I asked her for something with a distinct Japanese vibe like cherry blossom. No cherry here but a beautiful, juicy, ripe plum with the typical Japanese plum liquor smell. It smells slightly boozy in the beginning then it becomes a wonderful gourmand, so different from all mainstream gourmand that kill my nerves. The plum here is not exactly the same plum as in the West. Ume (Umeboshi) is a special kind of Japanese fruit tree. It is pleasantly acidic, fresh and warm at the same time. Beautiful garden of fruit trees, the result of this complicated scent is somehow simple in a positive way. Average sillage, longlasting on skin.

It's a drunken flower in the woods in summer, a seductive figure seen through a translucent curtain of flushed plum >.< I think Lady Hideko in The Handmaiden (2016) might have worn this. the demure seduction of heavy eyelids, long eyelashes and rouged lips. i like it especially with jinro plum soju. I'm not sure if it's too sweet for me but my bf seems to love it on my skin. he put his head in my lap and described it as "musky and wet like a river", and "outdoorsy wilderness after the rain, wrapping around you like a safe blanket. you go outside to be at peace with nature."

From the sample vial, it smells very similar to CK Euphoria to me, but it differs on the skin. The spices and pepper give the opening a warmer and cozier feel. After about 30 minutes, it becomes less fruity and woodsy, with gentle florals emerging. I find it more interesting than Euphoria, perhaps because it's new, while Euphoria has been around since the 90s. I may consider getting a full-size bottle when I finish my Euphoria. It's a gentle everyday fragrance for spring when it's still chilly and you can't wait for the weather to become warmer, as well as for early fall.

Beautiful!!!. Elegant and sophisticated. It opens with a unique freshness and gentle. It is a complex perfume,delicate and dreamy. The plum here is the foundation,and dominates in all its brilliance. Sweet parfum, not too intrusive but that leaves its mark.. has a trail very deep and very distinguished. I would love for the days of autumn, with a gust of wind and a light rain.... This is a little melancholy and sweet/floral/chypre. Masterpiece from Keiko Mecheri, I love it. ❤ Sillage: 7.5/10 Longevity: 8.5/10 Scent: 9/10 Overall: 9.5/10

Boozy plum, like that famous dense, aromatic and very sweet plum wine that it served in the best skybars in Tokyo, but is produced in France(I checked). When the mood strikes there is nothing like Ume. Quality natural scent that is mouthwateringly impressive. I am not sure the new transparent bottles in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the brand are a good idea. The old, dark bottles felt much more safe for the juice inside.

Ah Ume is absolutely gorgeous! If you tried Japanese drink umeshu you’d recognized the scent. It makes me feel like a beautiful geisha who’s serving plum wine to her clients at a tea house. Very unique scent, I havent tried anything like that before! Soft and sensitive, very feminine. This scent is like a beautiful Japanese lady, polite and appropriate yet extremely sensual.

agree with everyone here. the first reaction MMMMM I WANT IT!! its fruity, fresh( slightly minty i would say). makes me think of plum marmalade and mint tea. perfect for everyday use. a little too generic though..just like red nose i sniffed and sniffed trying to think of the scent it reminds me of,my conclusion- many!

A honeyed plum and persimmon fragrance with warm spices and florals, particularly osmanthus. It has a nectar-y quality, I think from the osmanthus, which makes it smell very suitable for spring, but I also think this is great for winter and autumn. I really like it :)

Slightly boozy plum with florals and smoky woods and spices. Sounds like it would be heavy, but it's actually a fairly delicate scent. Reminds me of umeshu liquor which I love

"The Lion and the Unicorn were fighting for the crown: The Lion beat the Unicorn all round the town. Some gave them white bread, some gave them brown; Some gave them plum-cake and drummed them out of town." -Alice Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll Rich, decadent plum cake. I'm still very undecided about this one. I'll hold on to it for now, as I expect I will enjoy it more in colder months. On me, this is all spiced plum and osmanthus, with some sweet woods in the background. As others have said, there's a comforting winter holiday vibe to the sweet, mildly spiced, mildly smoky plum. This one reminds me a lot of Serge Lutens' Datura Noir, and it took me a few seconds to place why: it's the osmanthus. There's plenty of it here, and it creates a fruity, almost almond-tonka-amber-vanilla sort of effect, especially blended into the woods in the drydown. The mahogany from my guilty pleasure, Calvin Klein's Euphoria, is delightfully present here, but it lacks a certain challenge or contrast to really make it stand out. I would not describe Ume as floral; on me, it's dominated by osmanthus, but then osmanthus is floral in name only, and more of a gentle fruity, amber-y sort of fragrance in reality, particularly how it's blended here. I also wouldn't describe this as a chypre; I sense zero oakmoss on me, which is unfortunate, as I was hoping for something to balance out the sweetness. This is a candy perfume, but not a corn syrup one: this is a dessert made of spiced, smoked, fermented plums, garnished with almonds and apricots and served on a mahogany dining table to celebrate the new year. It's sweet and fairly linear, with the plum eventually bowing out and leaving the woods and osmanthus to finish the show. If you like sweet fruity fragrances with a festive edge, give Ume a try. As with other Mecheri creations, I think she is beautiful and too sweet for me, but perhaps in the colder months I'll long for her again.

I must admit I was expecting this to vanish an hour after I applied it - I've read so many reviews of Keiko Mecheri's perfumes which report terrible longevity. Well I applied this six hours ago since when I've worked out on the cross-trainer for an hour and had a shower. The perfume is still there! Granted, there isn't much projection going on but I'm still pleasantly surprised. Ume reminds me of something I just can't put my finger on. It has a lovely warm, woody, spicy base which I can't get enough of. Those warm woody notes are there right from the start, the perfume doesn't change very much on my skin, only the plummish fruit notes fade away slightly. I don't find this too sweet at all, in fact it's not an adjective that ever crossed my mind. It smells rich, opulent and mysterious. I'd wear this during the day without fear that it would overwhelm anyone, it certainly doesn't seem to be a sillage monster! Great for evening. I'd love to be able to write more about this scent but I'm still a novice and finding my way around. Ume has definitely sparked my interest for plum scents and I'm on the lookout for more. Definite thumbs up from me!

This, sadly, did not work with my chemistry at all. I got a juicy, vibrant plum from the bottle, but on my skin it turned into a very generic, powdery, vaguely floral scent, and stayed there - it did not evolve into anything different. Oh, well. Update: I came back to this a few times, and I found that the plum comes out better when the weather (or my skin) is warmer. The floral notes I smelt on my first try also differentiate; I get camelia, wisteria and osmanthus (rather than a generic floral) mixed with spices and patchouli, and there's a solid backbone of mahogany there as well. I have an abnormally low body temperature due to medical issues, so rather than my body chemistry, it might be my body temperature that is to blame. I didn't immediately think of it because it has rarely been an influence in the way perfumes unfold on my skin, but it seems so obvious now that it has occurred to me. It's not quite what I had hoped it would be yet, but I finally understand why so many people are raving about this perfume. I will try this again in late spring and I will update my review accordingly.

Green pear and sour apple are not listed notes, but add a hint of jasmine with a breath of wisteria and that is how my nose interprets the overall composition of this fragrance. I love Keiko Mecheri's Loukhoum compositions, and Peau de Pêche is another masterpiece, but this one is... An Herbal Essences type of feminity. It reminds me of soaps and shampoos that are middling in quality: They want to be luxury, but they do not quite achieve it. That being said, I do have a bias against osmanthus, though this is probably the best osmanthus note I've encountered. Overall, Ume is inoffensive, but I struggle to love it. Firmly in the "like" category for me at the moment. A disappointing experience, to be sure, but it still smells a bit sweeter than Santal Umeshu by Scents of Wood, which drowns its ume note with too much sandalwood and ginger. Ume does not make this mistake, thankfully, yet still manages to smell cheaper than Santal Umeshu.

Hyper-femme, sensual floriental for an international woman of mystery. Grown and sexy plum (not juicy or tangy) with a great big bouquet of florals, grounded by woods and slightly smoky incense, with base notes overtaking the fruit and flowers at about three hours. I don't detect patchouli. Sounds like a lot going on, but it's blended beautifully. Feels like a department store perfume in the best way, which I think is true of many of Mecheri's. Perhaps I've gotten so used to "unisexy" niche perfumes that the sweetness of her creations can be almost alarming at first sniff. Unlike many department store scents, though, it's not a caramel or cotton candy sweet - all sugars feel like a natural byproduct of the notes rather than added corn syrup. For me, the sweet/smoky combo makes this strictly a nighttime scent. Suitable for all seasons. Sillage is moderate, longevity around 6 hours.

Ume for me is quite an unusual scent; floral-spicy with a touch of sharp wood. I have not really come across anything like it, so it is hard to compare it to anything else... Except for Keiko Mecheri's other creation- Osmanthus. Osmanthus is very prominent here, with jasmine and acidic notes create the core of the scent. And then I get- yes, tea. I got a whiff of tea when I was going down the street today, and then again, and then I realised it was Ume indeed that has this tea-like quality. Afternoon blend with jasmine and bergamot (for tea lovers- I recommend, delicious). It is quite linear, what you get at the start is what you get at the end. It lasts about 2/3 hours on my skin, which is quite good knowing that most fragrances do not last long on me. I like it very much, but I cannot see myself wearing it.