Neo-Tokyo

[Thorne]

A scent that captures a meeting of the serenity and elegance of ancient Japan, the vibrant, shining, neon-lit and ultra-modern splendor of today's Tokyo and the fantastic electric fantasyland of post-modern manga fantasy. Urban metallics and an ozone-tinged breath of electric light mingled with reedy bamboo, crisp mountain air, cherry blossoms, delicate orchid and a splash of playful, wet fruits.

In the vial, I can smell the cherry faintly, but once on my skin, this is all bamboo and ozone. It's a fresh, cologne-y, slightly soapy scent, with a touch of sweeter orchid and fruit - very clean. It also got stronger as time went on. It wound up being not quite what I expected, but very lovely.

[Sunbear]

Wow, this so didn't work on me. I really wanted to smell like a Japanese garden after a light rain, but instead I smelled like cheap, sharp dime-store perfume. Bleagh.

[slugbait]

A freebie from the Lab; one I have been wanting to try but never got around to.

 

Oh how do I love this blend! This reminds me of Calvin Klein’s CK One but more complex. Where CK One seemed somewhat flat and got soapy on me, Neo-Tokyo has the same clean feel but well rounded. This would smell great on a guy.

 

This starts out with an airy greenish note while wet. As it dries, it feels masculine, with a touch of citrus. Yuzu, maybe? This is very unisex. Completely dry it still has the green airiness but with light florals underneath. This lasts about six hours on me. I really love this.

 

Thank you Beth & the Lab! This will be joining my big bottle list!

[sophia_helix]

In the bottle: Very clean scent, which feels like a blue smell. A little heady fruitiness as an afternote.

 

Wet: Fruit is stronger, but so is the clean scent, which is turning astringent now -- luckily, I like that. The fruit is fading pretty fast, leaving "clean." It smells like a very nice body wash, which is not a bad thing.

 

Drydown: After an hour of so, the lovely ozone is gone and the cherry-sweetness is taking over. Now it's cloying. Like always.

 

Blast. I am so cursed by fruit. Into the swap pile.

[Muppetk]

This is like a very green flower, unripe, yet slightly sweet, slightly sharp, with a hint of ozone. Very nice. Not me, but very nice. As it dries a little more powder/sweetness comes out, but very little.

 

Ah damn. 20 minutes in, my skin eats it. Were there fruits in the description...? Yes, there were. Sigh. Fruit curse strikes.

[OriginalWacky]

Bottle (Imp): Fresh and herby.

 

Just On: Herby and fresh.

 

An hour or two later: Fresh herbs.

 

Around 6 hours: Herby freshness.

 

12 hours: It's gone now.

 

Overall: Pretty decent.

 

After reading other reviews: Lucky for me these flowers worked. I like it well enough, but I'm not sure I'd buy a bottle, as there are other scents I like much more.

[HoneyHoneyNY]

I just got this in a swap, and I couldn't wait to try it, since I couldn't imagine what it might smell like from the description.

 

In the imp, it smells a bit herbal, with a big ozone overlay.

 

On my skin it turned into a kind of clean smell, nice, but a lot like fabric softener. I'm going to wait and see if that goes away as it dries. It's not bad, but I smell kind of like laundry.

 

1.5 hours later: I never got a fruit note from this, but it did fade to something fainty sweet and flowery that's quite nice. I'm not sure if I'm keeping this. I may try it one more time, and see if I like it better later.

Edited July 11, 2005 by HoneyHoneyNY

[OdetteOdile]

Neo-Tokyo

Cold, green and light.

I'm getting the Bamboo. And sour fruit.

There's a lightening storm freshness to this, a Spring rainshower. The ozone isn't dominant (which I'm grateful for).

I'm not getting any floral.

It just manages to avoid being a room deodorizer scent - it smells too organic for that. It also just avoids soapiness.

 

This is one of the BPAL fragrances that is the perfect realization of the name and concept. It makes me long even more to visit Japan (and I was already longing pretty enthusuastically).

 

I usually go for heavy, spicy, foody scents - but there are a few light & clean ones I enjoy occasionally, and I think I'm adding this to the list.

I keep seeing bright sunlight-after-a-Spring-rainshower, which is one of my favorite times & moods.

[UltraViolet]

In the bottle

Nice, fruity and bright.

 

On

It has that nice "Empyreal Mist" watery, "clean" ozone smell combined with some nice fruitiness. Not orange and lemon but more exotic fruits.

 

30 minutes

It hasn't changed at all.

 

Throw:

a bit more than average.

 

Scent category:

Fruity/aqua

 

Summary

It's very pretty and refreshing. It's a bright blend that conjures up everything that's in the site description.

 

Purchase again?

Yes, it's a nice blend, especially for the Summer.

 

1-5 rating (5 being best)

4

[emz83]

On my skin the fruit disappears and the flowers come out with an ozone-y brightness. It becomes a very 'perfume'-y scent.

[LilithEve]

My first review!

 

In the imp this just smells clean. I was initially worried about that.

 

Upon applying, I can smell nothing but the Cherry Blossoms, but it seems to very quickly come round to the freshness of the Metallics and Ozone. Now it seems to smell like the city gardens when it rains. And I love the city rain.

 

After the dry down I start to detect what others have refered to as "citrus-y" scent. It is definitely fruity, but under the other notes, as if the fruits are part of the same garden but you come to them as you wander.

 

This is the perfect meeting of the green and the grey. I will be keeping this for the Sakura Matsuri.

[L-z_Empress]

On me Neo-Tokyo smells like cherry blossoms, mountain air and something aquatic. It is a very soothing and pretty scent. It also bears a fleeting resemblance to a soap that I once smelled (I can't remember the name brand though). I think I will get a 5 mL of this for next spring.

[FoxMackenzie]

In the imp: I thought of being in an antique store, seeing a really cool bottle/jar/container, thinking of putting something (say herbs) in it, and opening it and trying to do that sniff-where-you're-not-sniffing so no one thinks your crazy for smelling the inside of some old jar. Ok, maybe I'm the only one who does that. Stop judging me! Hehe, but seriously folks....it's the smell of something old but still clean, the mystery of some old wooden box that smells fresher than it ought.

 

On me: Yay laundry! This is clean on me, like storm moon; it smells of growing things and linen hung out in the sun to dry. This is a pretty scent, this is the scent you throw on clothes you reaaaaaly want to wear but are so dirty they're practically standing up by themselves. This is "I'm so close to just having stepped out of the shower, my hair's still dripping". Mmm...nummy.

 

~Fox

[Little Bird]

I was extremely lovestruck upon first sniff. This smells like wet, green stalks of a lovely bamboo plant. It screams of lush green wetness.

 

Then, after about 5 minutes, this starts to go bitter and perfumey on me. NO! >_< I cannot stand that smell. It's the same way that a lot of the Dior poison perfumes smell on me. Overpowering, should've been left in the 80's sharp bitter musky sort of scent. Kind of like hairspray. That's what I mean by perfumey, that throat clogging bitter hairspray smell.

 

A half hour later. Still hairspray. I had to wash this off... and it started off so good too

[Lycanthrope]

In the Bottle or Imp:

Grapefruit and citrus, mostly. A touch of yuzu? A little floral.

Wet, on Skin:

Still a very bright citrus, there's ozone trying to get past it but I amped the grapefruit up

Drying/Drydown:

Here's a tiny grassy note peeking meekly, I think it's a bamboo freshness. The citrus is fading some, and the blend feels colder than it did before.

Over Time/Longterm:

Citrus with a light grass note and powdery floral.

Final Verdict?

Not my thing. Swap!

[PurringPulsar]

Neo Tokyo

 

In the imp: fresh and almost lemony. It's also a bit salty-that could be the ozone.

Wet on skin: yup, still fresh and lemony, like lemons soaked by rain-maybe that's part of the 'wet fruits'? There's also that metallic, electric, slightly salty ozone tang.

Dry on skin: I think I can just about make out the orchid in the ozone scent-I can smell lots of citrus fruits and greenery, and that fresh, almost rainy/stormy ozone scent which gives this fragrance an interesting edge. Tokyo in the rain? It's a very zingy scent, it's refreshing, I think this would be nice in the spring or summer.

After a while: I think there may be a tea note in here too, or bamboo. It's green, that's for sure. Now it reminds me of Blue Moon as well, but more ozone-y and fruity. There's something quite Japanese about this, it makes me think of a traditional geisha looking over the modern skyline of Tokyo as the rain drenches the blossoming trees and bamboo.

After about 30-45 minutes, this really does get metallic. How on earth does Beth do that? Now it really smells like rain falling on steel, bright neon signs crackling, the tang of electricity in the air, and still that fruity-green scent wafts through.

Verdict: this is an interesting fragrance, ozone is the predominant scent here, and it's a very refreshing scent, almost like a sea breeze, with a salty, metallic bite, it feels rainy and electric. There's also the zingy scent of citrus fruits-I think lemon and grapefruit? And there's a nice orchid background with possibly the cherry blossom. It's a very refreshing scent-it's almost like cologne, it would be perfect for summer because it's light and breezy and fresh and full of energy. Not sure if I'll get a bottle but I like it none the less-and it really does fit the description.

Edited August 3, 2005 by yeahbutnobut

[jewelbug]

Well, with my recent experience involving cherry blossom notes, I was hesitant to try this one, but here goes:

 

In the Bottle: Initally, its very metallic and sharp. Underneath, there is a sweet green smell, almost minty, with citrus? buried a bit deeper.

 

On skin, wet: A slightly powdery floral with a bit of citrus tang. There is a sharp biting "aftertaste", I think the ozone. This sharpness takes the scent towards a slightly more masculine direction.

On skin dry:

Early: Very "dry" smelling, I think due to a powdery overtone. The powder backs down and lets some more "tang" through, and it gets a little more ozone-y sharp. Also some sweet florals coming through.

Late: Over 2 hours or so, it matures into a scent that is familiar, but I can't quite pin. It smells like an older perfume. Very soft and delicate, sort of powdery and floral, but mostly just smells fresh and clean. A coworker said it was sort of like White Diamonds, but I'll have to take her word for it.

Overall: I think the cherry blossoms take over on my skin (again), but unlike in the Aizen Myoo, these ones are rounded out and tempered by a sharper masculine sort of smell. It had a staying power of about 5-6 hours. The final scent was very pretty, light, and clean, but not really "me." I could see this working on some men, so I will try it on hubby, though I suspect its not something that will "do it" for me.

Hubby: As I suspected. It starts wet as a damp grassy smell, and gets soapy (but good soapy). He smells clean and nice, and it gets a strong ozoney/metallic edge on him after a bit. Nice smell for a man, but not for my man, if you know what I mean. I want him in scents that make me wanna jump his bones. ;-)

 

I'll be gifting this to a friend for her to try out.

Edited August 11, 2005 by jewelbug

[Wrenlet]

Sniffing the imp, Neo-Tokyo started out very cologne-y... on, this scent is green, green, green, and a touch sharp. No hint of cherry blossoms, or anything but the bamboo and (I'm assuming) ozone.

 

Then it dries straight down to cologne and makes me sneeze I have a vague hope that as I try more scents I'll be able to "train" my nose for notes, but for now as soon as I hit sneezy stage, I can't smell anything else.

 

Off it goes to a better home.

[Empress Dark]

I was really looking forward to this, because I am a hopeless Japanophile and anime fiend and I just fell in love with the description.

 

Vial: Citrus. Blegh. It's a really pungent lemon sandwiched between some heavy green notes, with ozone trailing behind it.

 

Wet: Still citrus, but the flowers are making themselves known. The green reminds me of grass, but not in a good way; instead of freshly mown lawn, it's more reminiscent of when our doberman used to eat it and vomit it up in clumps afterward. (For those of you who haven't scrolled downward in disgust, hold on, it improves, I promise.)

 

Drying: This has now become a battle between the orchid and cherry blossom to prove once and for all, who is the seme and who is the uke. (A little pervy-yaoi-fangirl humor for you there)

 

Dried: Okay, this is more like it. No longer a screaming queen, it's toned down into a rather harmonious blend of the two flowers. This is nice. I can work with this. But where's the fruit, dammit?

 

Three hours later: Oh. There it is.

 

In short: I like it enough to use up the imp, but I'm not certain if I want a big bottle; I'll have to test-drive it at work first.

Edited August 19, 2005 by Empress Dark

[fathom]

The lab description on this one is right on. It’s a peachy floral, with a hint of greenness. There is a definite ozone tang to it, too, which keeps it from being boring. There are a lot of mass-market perfumes that try to smell like this and fail— Neo-Tokyo is a total success. I guess it’s not my favorite class of perfumes, and I am not sure I would need a bottle, but it is a really lovely rendition of a light floral. This seems like a very proper scent to me, good to wear when meeting your future in-laws or something like that.

[dreadeddragon]

In the bottle: It's described perfectly. It's ozone with a metallic tang, with a bit of fruit behind it.

 

First on: There's something in this that reminds me of Wolf Moon. Pretty much just how it smelled in the bottle.

 

Drydown: The cherry blossom is more noticeable, and the ozone tang has calmed down a bit. There's still an overtone of the metallic aquatics, but the real scent behind it is the cherry and plum. They're jsut hard to find. I like it, but it's not strong enough of a scent for me to keep.

[Eros]

Spicy musk is what I get from this. Both in the imp and on skin. Didn't take but about 5-10 minutes to go soapy/perfumy on me and blah, gave me a headache, too. Didn't get any of the notes listed in the description. Oh well. I was curious about this one so glad I got the chance to try it

[Miss Lynx]

I wouldn't have picked this, but I got it as an extra in an LJ purchase, and the odd combination of notes did intrigue me. It does smell sort of interesting and discordant, with strongly contrasting notes clashing together, but ultimately the high sharp sweetness of the florals and the ozone/metallic elements just fuse into something resembling a typical commercial, synthetic perfume. Did I mention I dislike most commercial perfumes intensely? I had to wash it off inside of half an hour.

 

Grade: D

[elphaba]

Neo-Tokyo smells, to me, like a fruit tree after a spring storm. Ozone is in the air and the delicate flower petals have been battered to the ground, releasing their scent into the air.

 

It reminds me of the Ezra Pound poem, "In the Station of the Metro."

 

THE apparition of these faces in the crowd;

Petals on a wet, black bough.

[rainyseason]

I was really hoping I'd like this one and I'm so so happy that I not only like it, I love it. I spent five years in Japan and placing my second BPAL order Tokyo and Kyoto were two top choices.

 

First Sniff - Mmm clean, it's almost soapy but not a bad soap scent. The sort of clean soap scent when you first step out of the shower and everything in the world feels better than before you stepped in. I think I smell the bamboo, but it isn't extremely green - it's more of a damp bamboo, young stalks of bamboo in the middle of rainyseason.

 

On- Still clean. Slightly more rich, several other elements are coming out now. But there is no sweetness, it's all crisp and clean I still don't smell any cherry blossom or orchid.

 

Overall - I love it, I still wish that it had a slightly sweeter undertone, the pinkness of cherry blossoms on a spring day but it's still moved into second place for me.

 

ETA: I also think this would be an excellent uni-sex scent. I'm finding that I lean more toward those.

Edited September 8, 2005 by rainyseason