Aizen-Myoo

[matilda]

A bright, bittersweet scent honoring the Japanese Deity of Love and Passion. Aizen-Myoo is one of the vidyarajas, the Shingon's Radiant Kings of Wisdom. Though Aizen-Myoo possesses the lust, grace and passion of both genders, he most often appears to his followers as male. His face is screwed into a fearsome demonic mask, but this is only the wrathful, fierce countenance he places over himself to guide and empower his children. Aizen-Myoo is the patron of prostitutes, of joyous, unbridled sexuality and of all forms of erotic love and is worshipped by all those in the sex industry, musicians, and - oddly - landlords. Yuzu, kaki, and mikan with cherry blossom and black tea.

As many have written, Aizen-Myoo is a bright and bitter citrus out of the vial and when wet. Upon settling, the bitterness receeds into the background and a soft sweet floral emerges - I would assume this is the cherry blossom. It is a very soft and almost downy scent. This ends up being a vaguely-creamy sweet floral with just a hint of bitter citrus in the background. It's pretty, but I much prefer the strength of the citrus when wet. I'm definitely keeping the imp but wil likely use it as a room scent or in a bath product.

[quimerula]

This is a fruity scent with a citric edge (something like the one you get from a kiwi). I pick exotic fruits but I don't know any of the notes.

 

As it dries down, the tea and the cherry blossom go stronger, making a lovely base for this perfume. If you like fruity ones with an edge of tea, this one is for you.

[Little Bird]

When first applied, this was so strong and sharp that I almost washed it off immediately. It was all sharp, bitter grapefruit and a strange body odor smell that was just... awful. It made my head ache. Giving this some time to dry, the grapefruit settles down quite a lot.

 

After a good 15 minutes, the scent is still strong but not overwhelming, and the grapefruit smell (thankfully) is gone. Now it's all soft/pretty cherry blossom over a hint of herbal black tea. A very girlie fragrance that makes me visualize light pinks and milky white colours. Sweet and almost a bit powdery. It isn't a sexy scent on me so much as an ultra-pretty "I am a girl" scent. It's shy rather than seductive. If that makes any sense...

 

I like this a lot in the drydown, though I'm not sure if I'll want a bottle of it. I'll keep my imp around for the days that I'm feeling very feminine and proper.

[Voleuse]

Wow. Bright and bittersweet is a perfect description. On first application, it's both sweet and little harsh. I keep wanting to use the word gunpowder, but it's not at all like that, just similar in effect, and in a good way. It's certainly very Japanese, but the cherry blossom is faint. It's very fresh, and brings to mind an orderly garden with a pond. A kitchen, mid-morning. And tea, but that's faint to my nose as well--the citrus really springs out. It's rather refreshing that it isn't orange or lemon, but still distinctly from that area.

 

The citrus fades a little, after time, and the tea comes out more strongly. It mellows, but stays sweet. I've swapped the imp, but I'm making a note about getting a 5ml bottle sometime in the future. I really like this one, and I might try adding it to unscented lotion. It fades quite nicely on me, but it fades quickly.

[LunaSea]

In the imp, Aizen-Myoo smells so fabulous - fresh and sweet and heavenly. Which is why I made the mistake of doing a full application right out of the gate, instead of my usual test-dab.

 

Once this oil hits my skin, it gets sweeter. Occasional citrusy whiffs come off of it, but for the most part it just gets much too sweet. Yes, you read that correctly. I said something was too sweet! ::looks around and ducks, for the sky must be falling::

 

I actually felt rather queasy wearing this, and couldn't wash it off because I put it on and then we headed out to run errands. It was just much too strong for my taste. I may try it as a room fragrance, but for now it's in the swap pile. Hmm - unless it's finally time to get that scent locket I keep threatening to buy but never actually do...

[zankoku_zen]

I got this imp from jewelbug!

 

In the vial: I can smell something fruity, sweet and kinda citrusy. I smell the floralness of cherry blossoms.

On Skin: There's something almost soapy, but its sharp and citrusy and I think its the kaki. It's very clean and invigorating.

On Drydown: Here comes the cherry blossom. I get the same sort of smell, but more metallic from Neo-Tokyo. It's a good thing I like the cherry blossom smell. It's floral and pretty and reminds me to the Cherry Blossom festival in DC. Good times.

 

Verdict: I like citrus, clean and floral smells. There's something bright and cheery about Aizen Myoo. And yes, bright is a good qualifier. I find it very likeable

[lohengrin]

In the imp: Very lush, kinda fruity. Hard to really get a sense of it, but I have higher hopes for this than for Szepasszony.

 

On, wet: Can't really separate out the notes, particularly as I do not actually know what yuzu, kaki or mikan smell like, but it's still really quite lush, I like it.

 

5 minutes: It's wafting off my arm every now and then, quite a strong smell but not in a bad way. It's... an orchard, fruit and flowers both. Not smelling much in the way of the black tea, but it's a good scent, not too sweet, not too floral.

 

20 minutes: Pretty much the same. This one is a keeper, for sure. Makes me feel exotic.

 

1 hour+: I can't... stop... smelling... my arm... @_@ It's pretty faded by now, but still gives me a lovely yummy tingle when I sniff. ^^; So good!

[lookingglass]

A bright yellow scent~a definitely get a grapefruit impression, but it is more exotic. I have smelled yuzu before, and this is more complex. I am not usually a citrus person, (I got this one for my mom), but I really like this already.

 

On the drydown, there is a bitterness from the tea, and I am not usually into the tea scents, either, but again, I really like it! It must be the combination with the citrus, and that it is playing 2nd fiddle.

 

It fades fairly quickly, as top notes do, but there is a creamy, sweet scent lingering...is that vanilla or the cherry blossom again? I love it, and I'm sure that Mom, the citrus lover will, too. I will be getting more in the summer for myself!

[Chantarelle]

When first applied, this smells strongly of apple, which is a little odd, since I don't think there's any apple involved. But it mellows down to a nice sharp, fruity scent that I love. I can see why this is the favourite of nearly everyone I know!

[AliBabble]

whoa, - i really like this one alot. once again, a freebie imp (thank you!!!) is an unexpected surprise, and goes into the favorite pile. i"m finding i really like citrus a lot, these days. this one smells like bitter grapefruit, which could be the kuzu, which tastes like lime as i recall. i'm not familiar with the two other japanese fruits. then, the sweet cherry blossom comes out - so pretty. i can barely smell the black tea...just a little. and the grapefruit - i mean kuzu (or is it yuzu? i'm getting confused...) is still going strong. and i'm a musician too - aren't we supposed to worship aizen-myoo? so it makes sense.

[Fefferbella]

First sniff: The sharp citrus hit me, not in a bad way... just unexpected.

 

Wearing: After a few minutes on it sweetens into almost a honey lemon cough drop scent… still not bad...

After 30 min.- Lemon dish soap...

 

I liked far more than I expected to - it's just not something I'd wear too often. It's a nice clean summer smell.

[shayelea]

In the bottle: This is a very clean scent. Sort of like laundry detergent, only not really soapy. It's funny, but I don't get any tea or cherry blossom from this, and almost no fruits. It's hard to explain.

 

Wet: Very true to the bottle. Nice laundry detergent, still not soapy.

 

Drydown: Unfortunately, it doesn't really make it to drydown. It sort of disappears before that can happen. Huh.

[sarahj]

Aizen-Myoo

 

in vial: yuzu with a hint of cherry blossom

 

wet: nice blend of yuzu and cherry blossom

 

dry: a lovely fruity-floral blend...lasts about 5 hours

 

verdict: I think this may have to go on my big bottle wishlist

[AlaskaSnows]

Wet: Grapefruit, just cut. But it also, for me, has neroli overtones.

 

Dry: Grapefruit, with a soft mellow sweet kind of floral back. Great spring day scent. Very clean and tangy.

[desu]

In the bottle: Bright, clear yuzu with subtle florals in the background.

 

On the skin: Although the bitterness of the tea begins to make an appearance, the yuzu is still quite prominent. The florals are still hiding in the background.

 

Later on: Most of the yuzu and what was left of the florals have dissapated leaving behind the yummy, spicy tea.

[cantabile]

This was recommended to me by a couple of people, and it's not exactly like they had to twist my arm to get me to try it. I love cherry blossom and citrus like whoa, and besides, you have to love Japanese patron deities of prostitutes, musicians, and landlords, right?

 

in vial: Yuzu, mikan, yuzu, cherry blossom, yuzu. And then more yuzu. In other words, very citrusy. Did I mention the yuzu?

 

just applied: Very citrusy and delicious, with a hint of floral.

 

drying down: Yay cherry blossom! I was curious as to how a fragrance with this notes would be able to portray a god of passion, but it smells sexy, really, in a playful sort of way.

 

later: I still can't really pick out the tea, but no matter. This smells great on me for a looooong time. It's flirty yet womanly.

 

verdict: This scent is as amazing as I've heard, and it'll be even more perfect in the warmer months. I think it's shot straight to my top three. Bottle for sure.

[smallvoice]

I don't know how to begin to review this scent. Huh.

 

I was really looking forward to trying this one, as I liked the description and reviews and whatnot. Like a couple of people, I appreciated the early review listing details of particularly unfamiliar notes, such as the yuzu.

 

So... Hm. Here are some words this fragrance evokes for me: Dreamy, fresh, complex, light, blossoming, innocence, sensuality, exotic. The fruits were creamy, the tea was a lovely backdrop; to be honest, it smelled almost aquatic to me, it was so clean.

 

This makes me feel sweet and girly, but also powerful and seductive... if that makes any sense at all. (It also helps that the SO remarked that he liked it.)

 

Verdict: Love! Muchly!

 

UPDATE: I wore this a few days ago, because I remembered how much I loved it but not why. I don't like how it smells in the imp, so it tends to get put on a back burner when I'm reaching for things. I put it on, and the sharpness melted into that creamy goodness... but then something went horribly wrong. As the day went by, I kept noticing a really bitter, medicinal smell. I came home, showered, and put on the tee-shirt I'd worn earlier around the house, and I swear, Aizen-Myoo tried to kill me! With a baseball bat! Honest!

 

Seriously, though. I thought maybe I was just feeling off, but without me saying anything, the SO wrinkled his nose and remarked that whatever I'd chosen to wear that day was not his favorite thing- he'd been about to compliment me on it, he said, but when he breathed in to say something (we were snuggling so I was right close), that second wave hit him with murderous intent. He didn't phrase it quite like that, though. He said it was the fragrance equivalent of a bad aftertaste, which I've gotta agree with. So... sadly, this is off my bottles wishlist... but at least I figured that out before I bought the bottle. Off to someone with skin chemistry better suited to Aizen-myoo's charms.

Edited March 10, 2006 by cordia

[madelf]

Aizen-Myoo is a very sour bitter cirtus in the imp, but on it is lovely and wearable.

 

I can completely understand the comparisons to Baobhan Sith, but where Sith went cleaning fluid on me, Aizen-Myoo is just clean. The grapefruit like citrus blends nicely with the tea and hint of cherry blossom. It is surprisingly strong for such a light scent, and has a lot of throw.

 

Still, I really like this. It reminds me a lot of Embalming Fluid, which I adore. It's very fresh and envigorating. I'm seriously considering a bottle of this.

[Rhowan]

~~ AIZEN-MYOO ~~

 

In the bottle: mmm... Yuzu, kaki, with a dab of mikan and a hint of cherry blossom to sweeten it up. Very sharp citus scent.

 

Wet: Very sweet floral cherry blossom with a good hit of citrus.

 

Dry down: after a couple of minutes, the black tea is tempering the whole mixture and mellowing it to a wonderful light spring - like floral smell. Very exotic to me.

 

Conclusion: I can see this being a wonderfu lscent for alot of people, but for me personally, I wish it would have stayed true to the scent I got when it was first wet. The citrus smell was wonderful.

My skin eventualy focused the cherry blossom and absorbed everything else so it turned very overpowering sweet floral on me. I am not a sweet floral person - it reminds me of funerals.On the plus side it had great throw and great staying power...Unfortunately not for me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

efs

Edited January 14, 2006 by Rhowan

[jasper17]

In the bottle, I get a very clean, citrusy scent. First applied, the same kind of scent, though the cherry blossom becomes evident very quickly. After a few hours, it's mostly cherry blossom with a tiny bit of citrus behind it. I don't get much of the tea but the scent that it does develop to on me is one I really like a lot. Very unusual and clean and extremely wearable. I like this one a lot and I'll be ordering a big bottle of it shortly

[tinyvulture]

got this as a freebie from a swap. i normally avoid citrus scents because they are so overpowering on me. but, surprise surprise – i like this. it smells a lot like grapefruit. the black tea gives it a nice base, and cherry blossom is such a pretty, light floral. overall it’s very clean and sparkling and sweet. a happy, summertime scent.

[undream]

first impression; mmm, smells like the fruits & vegetables isle in a grocery store. is it citrusy? more green & vegetable-ish? i can't pin it down! i am mystified for a moment or two, but then it suddenly snaps into a zingy grapefruit with a greener companion note? like peeling grapefruit while sitting in freshly-mowed grass. so far, i am loving it!

 

the citrus softens considerably after about twenty minutes of wear, settling into a lovely, gentle, sweet scent. i keep catching whiffs of it and am just, nnghh, helplessly in love. tea, cherry, a lovely sweet herbal. it is wonderful up close on my skin, but this wafting, my god, this is beautiful. just a gorgeous, gorgeous scent.

 

if my skin can manage to keep this from fading into a too-sweet powder on me, as machu picchu did, then i will definitely be wanting a bigger bottle.

[jazlyn]

Wow, Aizen-Myoo is potent! The first time I had this "on" I had just opened the imp to sniff then put the lid back on... and as that snapped in place, little droplets of the oil splattered onto my palm. This made me sneeze and made my head hurt a bit. This reminds me of something, but I can't pinpoint what exactly; it smells kind of woodsy and sour/tart (fruit). Pretty different from all the other BPAL oils I've tried.

[Wench457]

Aizen-Myoo: Of the five listed notes, I only know what two smell like. This winds up smelling fruity and floral on me, and very, very pretty. I'm thinking I need a big bottle of this one!

[Mountaingrrl00]

I love citrus scents and already have a variety of citrus oils on hand for mixing my own, so Aizen-Myoo had some work to do to stand out for me. It succeeds by having a distinctive, long-lasting citrus note (yuzu and satsuma!) backed by a beautiful array of persimmon, black tea, and cherry blossom. This is so refreshing and unusual - assertive, mysterious, tart, bitter, light and strong all at once. One of my favorites.