Ethos of Cities Jeju

Wonderful. One Day is the only brand whose perfumes I experience as edible, when I'm thirsty or hungry I sometimes find myself craving Jeju and Taipei respectively. The rindy yuzu and grapefruit and green top notes of this got me to drop almost $200 almost immediately at the perfume store. There's a noticeable musk in this reminds me of Another 13 or Fleur de Peau. Very waxy! It at first seemed not to quite fit with the citrus notes, but now I don't care, I love it. Edit: The waxy musky base is NOT for everyone-- my friend said it smells like napthalene mothballs to her and I'll be honest, I love the smell of mothballs.

It smells like tangerine juice and then really sweet, syrupy neroli. Very, very long lasting for a citrus.

If you haven't been to Jeju- GO! It's the most beautiful island with such an interesting history, but the absolute pinnacle is the hallabong. It's a huge, indescribably sweet and juicy satsuma and Jeju natives are rightly proud of it! You can find it in marmalades, or candied, but the most heavenly format is when its peel is dried and mixed with tea. I have the best memories of sitting on a balcony, with a view of the sea and a cup of hallabong tea in my hand... smelling Jeju pings me back there instantly. The citrus has unbelievable longevity which is super unusual, and plays so nicely with the grounding astringency of the green tea, but as it develops on skin it tangles up with subtle orange blossom and the faint vegetal funk of tomato leaf, all underpinned with a gentle musk. This is an UNREAL fragrance. Michael Wong is one of the most underrated perfumers in the game. His ability to blend in ways that are original, evocative, full of heart and authenticity, rooted in place and also beautifully technically composed is incomparable. I want to kiss him on the mouth.

This brand went through a re-branding around 2021, which is why you'll see some duplicates in the release pages on here. I originally wrote a review for the new Jeju on the "old" Jeju's page, so I'm just going to copy+paste it here as i realized it was under the wrong page... Anyways for how simple this is I really love it. It feels like crisp air and sunshine, even though there's what feels like a very mild chypre hiding underneath. Cool, floral, and radiant, with a very natural-smelling herbal freshness. The tea note gives it a slight texture and earthiness that sits just right with me. The citrus is clear and high-pitched. There's a bit of sour greenery, a light juiciness mixed with bitter rinds, something that could border on fresh herbs...It has that sour sharpness that I love in green scents, which is udoubtedly coming from the tomato leaf. I'm also picking up the moss a bit and feel like it stabilizes and grounds everything really nicely, providing a darker, inky contrast to the vibrant notes into the drydown.

This is sharp, tart, a bit bitter and very herbaceous on opening—not unpleasant. But the longer it sits, the musk really comes through in this beautiful warm skin, premium body lotion kinda way. This was a pleasant surprise and full bottle worthy for myself.