Hakkotsu

[ipb]

Inspired by the cursed skeletal undead of Japanese lore. White sandalwood, Lily of the Valley and bergamot.

intital impressions: dry, lightly floral

there's something that makes me wrinkle my nose, though. the bergamot perhaps?

[Ina Garten Davita]

First Impression: Sharp, dry and woodsy. The bergamot really bites you on first sniff.

 

Second Impression: The bergamot dies down quickly leaving a that lovely sandalwoodsiness that I love. The lily of the valley lends a very quiet sweetness, keeping the wood from being too dry.

 

Final Analysis: Wonderful woodsy sniff. Seems a very autumnal scent.

[feline.by.design]

In the bottle - Oh how pretty. Smells all right.

 

First on - I touched the applicator on my wrists, neck and the insides of my elbows as per usual. Oh MAN! This scent is gorgeous! So gorgeous that I proceed to reapply for the hell of it five minutes later.

 

Ten or so minutes later - Still going strong. I'm showboating this fragrance around to a few people I know. The lily of the valley scent is strong, but the bergamot and sandlewood temper it so that it's not something too flowery. I'm not keen on "sissy smells."

 

Thirty minutes later - I catch whiffs of the scent on and off, so I know that the fragrance is still eminating. Not much change, except that it's gradually getting fainter.

 

The fragrance took about two or three hours until it got to the point where I had my nose smushed into my wrist in order to catch a hint of the scent.

 

I brought the imp with me to work, and I was hitting the bottle for re-apps like it was CRACK!! This is definitely something I want a biggiehuge bottle of. I want to MARINATE in this oil!! It's that good!! If anyone gets this as an imp and decides they don't like it, I will GLADLY trade imps, clothes, body parts for it!!

 

This scent made me feel like a lady. It's an absolutely gorgeous sniff that was feminine without being too flowery. Lovely, lovely, lovely!!

 

-doreen

[Donnababe]

I really dislike this one. It didn't smell that good in the bottle but I tried it regardless. Sadly it was far too bitter for me and didn't last much longer than a minute on my skin.

[grrrlennyl]

hakkotsu

 

at first: this was a freebie from the lab. floral, and very dry.

on: i think i'm just smelling sandalwood and something else, maybe the bergamot.

half an hour later: i can smell the lily more now, but the sandalwood is going weird on me.

1 hour later: yup. slightly pickly. woods are evil on me.

2 hours later: all i smell is sandalwood-gone-wrong.

overall: damn you, sandalwood! this one's a no-go.

[Theravada]

Figures, right after I placed an order for an imp of this Beth announced it would be discontinued. I waffled on buying more while I could, but since I hadn't smelled it yet and the (very few!) reviews were less than impressive I finally decided to just wait for my imp and hope I hated it.

 

Crud

 

Should have ordered more while I had the chance because this really is lovely!! I wonder why no one ordered it and the reviewers didn't like it? Poor Hakkotsu.

 

Maybe it's one of those skin chemistry things, because sandalwood seems to be a potential negative for some people. But my skin loves wood scents, particularly sandalwood. And Hakkotsu is no exception! This would be my perfect spring scent. Soft, light sandalwood sweetened by lily and brightened by bergamot. I really adore it. I will treasure my imp.

 

 

ETA: I found more Hakkotsu, so life is all good now!

Edited December 7, 2004 by Theravada

[TheDarkMother]

In the Bottle: Delicious white sandalwood!

 

On Me: White sandalwood underneath a deceptively sweet floral. How truely evil! This is like walking through a garden of beautiful flowers and suddenly day turns to night and the flowers ash right in front of your eyes, heralding your own impending doom. The scent of the flowers fade and all that you are left with is the desolate smell of ash.

 

Oh! WHY didn't I get a big bottle of this one when I had the chance? This is gorgeous, and very imaginative!

[Gin]

The bergamot is sharp, and the lily lends a bananalike note (as it sometimes does on my skin). Luckily the sandalwood takes charge and reigns in the bergamot and the lily has pretty well disappeared. This is a nice alernative to rose-sandalwood blends.

[joseybird]

Agressive bergamot and dry woods seeped in lily of the valley. This is a dark, agressive, and *creepy* scent--a description I would never have thought of had I just looked at the notes. This smells more like a ritual oil than a *perfume.* I can imagine a villain wearing this scent

[shelldoo]

this had the slightest hint of bergamont when wet but it evaporated quickly

 

as it dries it becomes a gorgeous peppered sandalwood w/ a very light floral background beautiful

[k00kaburra]

In bottle: White sandalwood and bergamot. I don't know what the technical difference between white sandalwood and regular sandalwood is, but this smells drier and lighter than normal sandalwood. It's such a dry fragrance; it makes me think of dusty bones and dried orange peels.

 

On me: It's a bit sharper on the skin than in the bottle, at least initially. It's an unusual scent, but I like it quite a bit. It is feminine, but it doesn't scream "I AM PERFUME" to everyone in the room. It's a subtle scent, the sort that you smell and think "Oh, she smells nice" instead of "Oh, she's wearing a nice-smelling perfume."

[yellowrose]

Plans were to augment a review I thought existed. It doesn't. Humpf.

 

Hakkotsu was sniffed way, way, way back as soon as it arrived around the first of the year. Here are the notes, then:

 

Initially very floral and and overwhelmingly muget with a touch of bergamot. Almost too sweet. Not great first thing in the morning.

 

Drying: more sandalwood comes forward. Making me achy and a little hard to breathe after about twenty minutes. May just be morning. Try again another day. Could smell it lightly even after washing and shower. Nicer when lighter. Try applying less.

 

Oh ... and so I guess I was waiting for the second test, which Hakkotsu passed with flying colors. It is nicer when lighter and a very fine scent indeed.

 

What was to be appended?

 

If you're upset about the loss of Hakkotsu, try Belle Epoque. These scents share notes: muget and sandalwood (granted, two different sandalwoods). It's almost as if Hakkotsu was a minimalist sketch of what would become Belle Epoque. Layered? Very nice indeed.

[malanna]

The first hour of Hakkotsu smells like Coppertone Sports sunblock to me. It's slightly dry, with a powdery floral scent, but not very floral--just floral enough to make it a bit sweet. I'm guessing that would be the muguet. After a few hours, the floral fades, and I just get white sandalwood. Maybe with a hint of bergamot.

[OriginalWacky]

Bottle (Imp): Smells rather woody.

 

Just On: Yes, quite woody, and something is trying to peek out.

 

An hour or two later: I get more wood.

 

Around 6 hours: A soft, nice wood.

 

12 hours: Wood that's started to turn into sweaty smell.

 

Overall: Not bad, but not something I'd go out of my way to get.

 

After reading other reviews: I got all wood out of this, and not the nice kind. Too bad, it was a nice idea.

[Shollin]

First sniff: Very white, very fresh and very cold. I always misidentify bergamot as grapefruit at first sniff, but it’s softer and less sharp-edged.

 

Wearing: Much like in the vial… the aura is a chilly white glow.

[coulrophobe]

In the imp: Definitely dry wood, with a lemony tang... *looks at description* My bad, make that a bergamoty tang.

 

On: Hakkotsu stays pretty true to how it smells wet for me, except that it softens a bit and the Lily of the Valley, which always smells pleasantly soapy to me, appears.

 

The associations I'm having are oddly tropical - it's making me picture white sandy beaches and palm trees... I just realized this smells like suntan lotion!

 

Not what I want to smell like all the time, but in the middle of winter when I'm cold and miserable? Yes, please!

[PurringPulsar]

Hakkotsu

 

In the imp: sandalwood and tangy bergamot. Very nice.

Wet on skin: I love the sandalwood in here, it's so warm and lightly spicy, the bergamot is also in here. Can't make out the lily of the valley yet.

Dry on skin: I like this! This blend has a very strong sandalwood note, and it's gorgeous…a dry, warm, smooth and lightly spicy scent, with the bergamot adding a light citrus touch. It reminds me of one of my sandalwood perfumes. The lily of the valley is surprisingly light here…but I can smell this delicate floral note gradually 'growing' out of the dry sandalwood. It's very pleasant, but it's also a very dry and pale scent…very fitting with it's skeletal inspiration.

After a while: it's a bit more floral now, but the sandalwood is still going strong, with a delightful lily of the valley adding a little something extra. It's also a good lily of the valley note-it doesn't go soapy on my skin like it's been known to do at times, but it is slightly greenish.

Verdict: this was a lot nicer than I was expecting…I love the sandalwood in this. It's a good strong sandalwood, warm, dry, smooth and lightly spicy. The bergamot adds a gentle citrus aspect to it, and the two notes together give an effect reminiscent of one of my sandalwood scents, which has a lemony feel to it. But the most surprising thing was how well the lily of the valley worked with the other notes. At times, this floral note can either be too strong or too soapy, but in here it was nicely discreet, adding a soft flowery undertone to the sandalwood, rounding it off nicely. The scent is dry, pale, and ghostly, but it's also warm and well blended and uncomplicated. I don't need any more of this but I'm definitely keeping the imp of this rare scent.

To sum it up in a smiley:

Edited April 19, 2006 by yeahbutnobut

[Little Bird]

Much thanks to my imp pimp for letting me try this one

 

Hakkotsu is a rather simple fragrance on me, and I think that I favor the more complex blends.

 

First on I can definitely smell the sandalwood. It's a dry, slightly powdery woods. After a few minutes, a citrussy bite comes out that I figure is from the bergamot. Lemony sandalwood on me.

 

After about a half hour, the lily starts to come out and add a soapy twang to the whole thing.

 

It's nice. It's like an incredibly clean/soft sandalwood blend. Hakkotsu isn't really one that I would wear a lot though, it almost smells too simple to me. Plus, I don't often wear citrussy-clean blends. Still... nice.

[edenssixthday]

Hakkotsu - This is such a nice blend! It’s crisp, clean, and very fresh. The sandalwood is barely apparent when wet, but strengthens a touch as the oil dries down. The bergamot gives this blend a really fresh, bright tone, and there’s just the tiniest hint of floral rounding it out. It’s got the slightest soapy note to it, but it only adds to the cleanness of the scent, and doesn’t detract from it in any way. Hakkotsu is a strange scent, simultaneously dry and fresh. I probably won’t wear it often, but I’m glad I have it.

[funkmoppet]

Frimped with a Lab ebay win.

 

Wet: Bergamot makes a big entrance. It dominates, which is fine, because I like bergamot. However it then bows out to the background remarkably quickly, given it's its inital strength.

 

Out comes the wonderful sandalwood - it's just gorgeous. The lily of the valley is soft, and plays only a supporting role. As it dries, it's mostly pale, sexy sandalwood. Yummy.

 

Ah, this is lovely. I won't injure myself trying to hunt down a bottle, but I'll keep the imp when I'm in a sandalwood mood.

[zankoku_zen]

This one I can definitely smell the lily on a base of dry sandalwood. It's like the base sketch, I feel, for Belle Epoque. I really get a lot of sandalwood from this, which is sad, since the lily is quite lovely.

 

I'm definitely glad I got to try this though!

[filigree_shadow]

Very sweet floral -- I think maybe Lily of the Valley is just a little too sweet for me. I think I can smell a smidge of sandalwood underneath because it smells dusty.