Bulletproof

I'm immediately transported to an Overland Park Mall Montgomery Wards tire shop circa 1988. You know the vibe: linoleum floors scuffed by decades of work boots, the faint hum of fluorescent lights overhead, and a grimy coffee pot brewing something that tasted like burnt rubber but somehow kept the mechanics alive. I’m ten years old, perched on a cracked vinyl chair, swinging my legs while my father debates the merits of steel-belted radials with a guy named Rick, who looks like he moonlights in a Twisted Sister cover band. A rerun of The Brady Bunch is on the black and white 10 inch tube telly in the corner above a crispy rhododendron that hasn't been watered since the Seoul Olympics ended last month. Still riding the patriotic wave after Greg Louganis won the gold after hitting his head on the springboard. The opening blast smells exactly like a tower of Goodyear tires which are shiny, rubbery, and just slightly menacing. Then the leathery note kicks in, and I swear it’s the ghost of those cigarette-stained mechanic gloves, the ones that always smelled like Marlboros and WD-40 no matter how many times they got washed. Just when I think I’m choking on nostalgia, a sweet little puff of coconut vanilla sneaks in like the glaze from the day old free donuts by the coffee pot, stale since Reagan’s first term but still good enough to drink with powdered creamer while you wait for your oil change. Wearing this fragrance, I feel like I should be thumbing through a Sear's catalog, dog-earring pages with stereo systems, cassette walkmans, riding lawnmowers, and Jim Palmer in his Jockys while Rick assures my father he can “throw in the floor mats for free.” It’s blue-collar glamour bottled up: half tire shop, half hair rock concert, all attitude. Bulletproof by Tokyo Milk: Because CK Eternity is too fancy and Drakkar Noir doesn’t come with free floor mats.

To make a long story short: I smell like an incense stick being used to stir coconut milk into a steaming mug of tea, and I'm not even mad about it. To make a short story long: When I test fragrances for the first time, I usually spray my wrist first, knowing full well that it will develop wildly different from when I do my usual sprays: one to the throat, one to the midriff. My very first spray of Bulletproof - after stripping off its cellophane and clumsily tearing the box in my excitement - started exactly like Penhaligon's Elixir. That's the only other incense fragrance I own, and my girlfriend hates it on me. I was still excited. Bulletproof had this initial underlying creaminess that set it apart from Penhaligon's "church incense." I couldn't stop sniffing my wrist. It was gorgeous, and I knew it would be different in my full wearing, but I couldn't help falling in love. I'm glad I did my full wearing right away. On my wrist, Bulletproof is straight-up woodsmoke, campfire, everything described here... that dries down to a safe coconut vanilla scent. Which is good, great, and different from anything I own. But as a full wearing developing throughout the day... oh my. Oh. My. I read this described as "dark, mysterious" maybe even aloof? I see that. I definitely see that. However, this dark, mysterious entity has a bright, bubbly friend who can always get him to crack a smile, and that's how I see the coconut interacting with the incense accord. Coconut is broody incense's quirky friend. And I love it. This thing just has that "oomf" I see people sometimes cite as lacking in a fragrance. I'm much too addicted to the blind buy to settle into a signature, but if I had one, this would be it.

Yummy. To me this smells like the end of a day hiking in a dense forest - you can smell tree bark, almost like sawdust, along with much older woods beneath it. You’ve started a fire and brewed a cup of tea over the hot coals, and made it sticky sweet with condensed milk. It’s smoky but with an intoxicating sweetness, the sort of thing that would make you drift off to sleep right in front of the fire. Reading reviews of this scent it’s pretty clear that each person experiences this differently. I’m not sure that I smell coconut- to me it’s more like a sweet soy milk? And there is smokiness here that just isn’t accounted for in the notes listed. On first spray this is all woods and tea, and as it settles into the skin during the day it becomes sweeter and creamier. The woody notes almost disappear and the dry down leans much more gourmand, one review here mentions boba and that’s exactly it. I was unimpressed the first time I tried it, and I maybe used 2 sprays in wintertime. I tried it out again in warmer weather with 5 sprays and fell in love, I ordered a bottle as soon as I got home. It easily lasts 8 hours on me and a little longer on clothes. To me it has that perfect projection where I’ll smell it consistently all day if I spray it on my neck, but others maybe get a waft here and there- not offensive and in your face. This isn’t groundbreaking advice, but get a decent before you go full bottle of this. Just scroll through the reviews, it’s easy to see that the notes and scent profile here don’t really capture what this smells like in person.

For reasons entirely unknown to me, and frankly still under investigation, this perfume turns me into an unsolicited fragrance focus group for women of all ages. Every time I wear it, women ask what I’m wearing. Consistently. Repeatedly. Across demographics. If you want context for my own, apparently defective nose, feel free to scroll down to my earlier review where I explain how I experience this scent on myself. Because whatever they are smelling is clearly not what I am smelling. Case in point: a few weeks ago, the twenty-something front-desk at a hair salon abandoned her post to walk over to my salon chair (my stylist had walked away) to ask if I was wearing LV Imagination. Fast-forward an hour later, I’m bent over the spice rack at Kroger (not for the first time mind you), contemplating celery salt, when a woman in her late fifties above me asks what I am wearing. Fast forward a few minutes when I'm checking out via an actual cashier, the age unknown due to unfortunately applied makeup, gothic cashier asked me what I was wearing. At this point, I’m genuinely perplexed. What pheromonal broadcast signal is this fragrance sending that I’m completely nose-blind to? And more importantly, what am I missing when I smell Bulletproof on myself that the rest of the female population seems to pick up instantly? Insights welcome. Scientific theories encouraged. 😂 PS. I'm unhetero and completely oblivious to being hit upon by women. I'm like an unhetero savant that has no idea if they're simply curious or coming on to me.

This is one of my all time favorite perfumes. Leans more masculine but I don't care because the dry down is everything. I love the creamy coconut as it settles, not fresh but more like toasted creamy coconut. This perfume totally defines me. It's dark, enigmatic, sweet, sexy and a total BADASS! There's nothing like it. The perfume is definitely up to par with the beautiful bottle, I really love when that happens. Woodsy creamy coconut goodness. A little goes a long way, one spray is more than enough for me. For a more yummy Bulletproof, layer with Lait De Coco by Le Monde Gourmand or a vanilla body spray. Dressy date NIGHT type vibes. I don't EVER care about the price when it comes to perfumes, if I love it, I love it, and this one has me obsessed. Songs for this perfume, Whitehouse Road by Tyler Childers, Pride and Joy by Stevie Ray Vaughan, Hippies and Cowboys by Cody Jinks. Way Out Here by Josh Thompson, the part when he says, "Our houses are protected by the good Lord and a gun, you might meet 'em both if you show up here not welcome, son." Diamonds and Gasoline by Turnpike Troubadours, This Damn Song by Pecos & the Rooftops. (just to name a few) while drinking whiskey. This is probably what Man With No Name (Clint Eastwood) smells like in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. BISOUS

I've been contemplating getting this fragrance for years now and finally picked it up. Would I call it "Bulletproof"? Probably not. A more appropriate name would be "Campfire Vanille". The coconut in this comes across as a very heady, milky, vanilla similar to that in Tom Ford's Tobacco Vanille. Initially, any ebony, cedar, or tea notes smell as if they were consumed in a campfire (with the tinder composed of the three), and all that remains is the smoke. In the top and mid notes, it's smokey alright, but I wouldn't exactly compare it to a rubber or tire smell. Just a plain and simple campfire smoke. Similar to Imaginary Author's "A City on Fire" or Zoologist's "Tyrannosaurus Rex". The vanilla/milky aspect totally dominates the smoke. It's an interesting fragrance, but feels like a blend of others as opposed to something totally original. But in and of itself, wouldn't that be original? I guess... It's long lasting, good projection, fairly unisex, but ever so slightly leaning more masculine. It's not difficult to like, love, or wear, and gets a lot more woody and creamier towards the dry down. If you're daring enough, I'd consider this blind buy worthy and I'm definitely not dissatisfied with my purchase.

I have no explanation for this but, to me, Bulletproof smells like London. Yes, that city in England. And I love it. Both Bulletproof and that city in England. Can I be homesick for a place I've only visited? Apparently I can, because I am. Bulletproof reminds me of walking through the streets of Camden Town. It opens with a fairly strident blast of ebony and cedar. As it mellows, the smoked tea comes out with just enough coconut to smooth things down. I'm not a huge fan of coconut anything and I was worried at first that this would smell like cheap sun tan lotion. It most certainly does not. I really don't even identify it as coconut, just smooth. The scent finally settles down at about an hour to a smokey tea and cedar. Absolutely delicious. It is definitely an unusual scent, some people may find it a bit masculine because there's nothing sweet or floral going on. This suits me just fine. I haven't been wearing it much the last few months because it has been warm and humid but now that the weather has turned cool and crisp, this scent is absolutely perfect. Close your eyes and think of England? I believe I will.

I like this perfume, just as I like most everything from TokyoMilk. It's certainly one of the most unusual fragrances I've ever owned. It is equally sweet and smoky, like an ashtray at a bordello. Unfortunately, I have no idea where I'd wear this. It's too heavy for work, and people would probably think I started smoking. At the same time, like everything else from TokyoMilk, this fades quickly until you're left with no scent at all. TokyoMilk has no staying power. So far, I've only worn this one at home or on the weekends. It's something I enjoy smelling on myself, but it's just a little too unique to wear on a daily basis. I don't know if I'll buy another bottle. EDIT: Yes, I'm going to buy another bottle. I've experimented with it a bit more, and I think it's going to make a fantastic fall/winter scent for me. It's nice on my skin; and even though it's strong and unusual, I think I can pull it off. It doesn't hurt that the man in my life loves how it smells on me, too. I wore this to bed one night, and he kept sniffing me. This is a winner, despite its weak staying power.

A little bit of a strange milky musk in the opening which is soon tamed and tethered to the ground with quite deep woody tones. Considering this series is called dark and the striking names and images on the bottles, The two I've tried have been very soft affairs. I like this juxtaposition of the creamy tonka or vanilla/ coconut smell with the density of ebony and cedar. The combination actually conspires to make a good perfume. The way this dries down is lovely, really mellow and actually is reminiscent of the smell in a friends house as a child. Strange how your olfactory system can trigger random memories you would have never known were there or thought of other wise. Certainly a likable fragrance and also reminds me of a couple of scents from the house of ODIN. What my reviews boil down to are 'Would I wear this fragrance?' and the answer will have to be a resounding 'yes...I would.' Nothing else in my wardrobe like this so it might even make it onto the want list. Longevity is average and stays very cozy and close to the skin but that suits this scent.

Smoky, smoky, smoky! Very naughty. I like smokiness in a perfume, but it's rare to find a perfume that doesn't smell too stale. So I tend to just stay away. At first I thought this perfume was much too smoky for my taste, like 100% pure smoke. But as it dried down, it mellowed into something quite soothing and zen. I could definitely smell the coconut milk and rich woods. I generally dislike coconut perfumes, but coconut milk is a whole different story. It lends creaminess in a translucent way, without being distinctly coconut or gourmand in any way. I bought the perfume on the spot because I can't believe the price for what smells like a very expensive niche. I'm familiar with the majority of Tokyo Milk perfumes, but Bulletproof has got to be in the top 3 of their best offerings. I find projection to be fairly light, at least by my standards, because I like my perfume STRONG. So no worries--you won't be smelling like a walking campfire if you wear this. Correct Notes: Smoked tea, coconut milk, crushed cedar, ebony woods

The thing about the Tokyo Milk dark series is..you can't judge the scent by smelling from the bottle. They also seem to have 3 different stages after they are sprayed. I've recently fell in love with this brand and serious. It's very unique and lovely by its own right. It's different and exotic. This starts off strong and intense but settles in gently blending all notes together. On the bottle it's described as having notes of -smoked tea - coconut milk - crushed cedar - Ebony woods I'm making my judgment specifically on the dry down. It's a scent of spicy smoked tea a little ceder a little coconut milk blended well together. I believe this is truly unisex. It's neither to masculine nor feminine while being both. I love the modern black bottles with the theme photo print. Any time of the day friendly. I believe it's any season friendly however leans more towards fall/winter for women. While any season for men.

Freshly applied this had a very strong peaty whisky smell to me - I have a very love/hate feeling about this, as I hate peaty whisky myself but I think it makes up for a very interesting personal fragrance and it is most definitely like nothing else I know. As it opens up the smokiness settles down and most importantly the harsh alcohol smell goes away, so it begins to smell more like wood smoke. The finish is in my opinion the most feminine part but not in a "whoa this is clearly for ladies" way, just compared to how it introduces itself (which I feel is pretty masculine). Bottom line: very unique, not for everybody, generally get complimented on it by the more eccentric group of my friends (burlesque dancers, drag queens, artists). Not very expensive though, so you can give it a go and save it for special occasions (the later in the night the better, haha)

I feel like Tura Santana in Faster Pussycat Kill! Kill! would smell like this. It's intriguing, sexy. Like Bvlgari Black in that it has a sweet rubber/smoke type smell, not the same, but somehow related in the fact you need to have the personality to like this. Intense but not in your face and loud sort of way. Intense in the way a cat or a quiet and very confident person looks at you intensely sort of way. I'm curious how it would smell on a guy. And it falls under "unisex" but for me, for my personality this is a scent that makes me feel feminine and powerful. Like maybe I've been chopping wood for most of the day (minus the sweat) and came inside to make myself tea to relax and put a soothing balm on my hands. Even that description doesn't quite do it justice. It's not for everyone, especially if you prefer floral scents. Love this.

I must admit that I did not like this fragrance at first. I bought it blind, based on the notes and the name. On paper this made me want to get rid of it. I am glad I didn’t. This smoked tea has a nice aroma with the coconut milk balancing out the bitterness of the smoky tea. The crushed cedar carries a potpourri type vibe which plays well here. I can’t tell you much about the ebony woods, but I guess it gives this scent a darker character. I took a leap of faith and wore this today and loved it so much on my skin it made me write this review. Thoroughly enjoying this now and adding it to my favorites. It’s a little pricey retail but I think you can find this at Sephora to sample. Try before you buy. This is not for everybody. If somebody said it is an old lady smell, I would disagree but understand.

This is my absolute favorite from the Dark Curiosities line. Beautifully smoky, mildly sweet, the four notes come together in a gorgeous, stunning scent. For me, this is mysterious, a fragrance that brings to mind the word gothic. The longevity and sillage on my skin are moderate and as I said in other reviews on this particular line, I love the bottles - the large size comes in a sturdy, decorated box, a very nice presentation. I had a miniature bottle from a sampler set and this was one I had to have a full bottle of. I find this is similar to Arsenic (another favorite, now discontinued) and a little bit like Tainted Love, both worthy of attention if you like this. I also have the hand cream that I use to layer with this and make it last a little longer.

LOVE THIS ONE. I bought a little box with minis from Tokyo milk and I must say, they all smell good and they all are very unique, although this one its the one that caught my attention. It starts smokey, like burnt woods and when it settles down it gets sweeter, but its a different kind of sweet, its like naturally sweet skin if it makes sense, very badass feeling from it. the Sillage on this one its very good, with the roller ball I get the sillage of a spray, its awesome and it lasts for a long time on my skin. I would say its the perfect scent for cold gloomy winter days or nights. Not sure if I would wear this on warmer days though, I think it would get suffocating.

I am a huge tea fanatic, so when I read 'smoked tea' in the notes, I knew exactly which tea they were talking about - lapsang souchong. These tea leaves are dried/smoked over wood fires, and, depending on the brand, either have a bonfire or rich cigar aroma to them. (And the tea is rich and strong and wonderful, but I digress.) Bulletproof, on me, is waves of rich smokey scent, with undertones of metal, despite there being no metallic notes listed. I suppose it is the coconut, cedar, and ebony wood combining in some clever way. I recently wore this layered with Boucheron Trouble to see the second Captain America movie: I felt the combo perfectly fit Black Widow.

I love this scent. I tried out all of the Dark line, and this one was the one that immediately jumped out to me. Incredibly unique scent. On my skin, it is immediately very spicy, almost a peppery scent. The spiciness and bite wears down after a while, and on me the base notes leave a dark but sweet scent... the cedar, almost vanilla-y, chai tea-ish scent. This is definitely a crisp fall and winter scent, with the spice and the wood and the bite. The only thing I dislike about this perfume is the length of wear. The spice wears down a bit too quick, and I'm left with the coconut milk and wood. Which I love, but I wish the bite would last longer.

While on vacation in Cape Cod, I found my way into the loveliest shop that carried the TokyoMilk Dark line.I have loved the bottles since first sight, however have not heard much in the way of positive reviews on the perfumes themselves. I must say I am glad that I checked this line out!I purchased a bottle of Bulletproof, by far my favorite of this line.Walking around the cool streets of Cape Cod in Autumn, this was the PERFECT scent for me! I would describe it as a creamy cup of chai tea sipped by a campfire.I am in love.Longevity and sillage were definately acceptable. This will always be Cape Cod in Autumn to me..

This is one of my standard year round go to evening perfumes. I use this when I want to feel dark and sexy on a night out or on a date night and occasionally during the day when I want to feel powerful. This is one of my all time favorite scents. The projection is large and the longevity is excellent. I can usually still smell this on my skin 12 hrs later. This scent is smoky, spicy, and creamy all at once. The scent profile is smoked tea, ebony woods, coconut, and cedar but on me this fragrance comes across as creamy vanilla tobacco with cinnamon. Just a beautiful fragrance.