Neo-Tokyo

[Silentlover]

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 Bottle: Floral with a hint of something bitter.

Wet: Slightly aquatic florals with powder. The bitterness is gone.

Dry: It has sweetened greatly as my skin tends to do with florals. Also the scent overall seems to have more of a kick now.

Later: You know what, this scent reminds me almost 100% of Exclamation. Just not as strong now. That "kick" has faded. The scent is noticeable but not really on either extreme, just there.

Final Verdict:

Very pretty. That is the best way to describe this scent, "Pretty". Which is good, I love pretty scents. But this one is far too feminine for me. As a guy I like unisex but this is too floral and sweet to even come close to unisex. Perhaps if it had just some slight dark or earthy tones it'd be a better match.

I will be giving this to my sister though, she *loves* Exclamation.

[buzz23666]

all I can say is cherries and wet pavement in almost-summer.

 

LOVE IT

[modernsaints]

Mmm. I can detect the metallics, just barely under the surface, but it's really just a lovely soft floral with enough bamboo to give it a slight green kick, and enough fruit to make it complex. I keep smelling myself when I wear it just to figure out all the nuances to it, which is nice - but it's also really friendly and I'd be comfortable wearing it in public. Wouldn't call it a bottle buy, but I do really enjoy it.

[ribcaged]

This scent is Zen manifest in the city.

It is very light but the lightness is an illusion of the delicate scents that work so well to produce this. I can smell very sweet oranges, like mandarins, glace cherries and something very watery... Bambo, reeds and pink petals in a lake. Of course, that is not to forget the lilac and pink neon lights of the city to cover the vibrant, glittering side of this blend. If you imagine cool, fragrant air blowing in from the mountains and lakes on a rainy spring dusk with the beautiful lights, or a big humming city built upon its sweet history; that's neo-tokyo.

 

EDIT

This is like a more airy version of Gennivre in Carnival Diabolique. Mmf.

Edited May 22, 2007 by ribcaged

[alliekat13]

In the imp it's all cherry- the same note I recognize from Kyoto. Once it's on my skin though it morphs into pure soap. Fruity floral soap, but soap nonetheless. I've realized that all of the lab's ozone notes turn to soap on my skin. I don't mind smelling like soap though! This is a beautiful, clean, fresh scent, I would wear it on a day when it's hot and sticky and I feel all gross....maybe not a bottle purchase but will use my imp.

[Laz]

In the bottle:

It smells like a particular brand of soap I used to use when I was younger- the name escapes me. It's quite a cold scent- I can't smell any fruit, though.

 

On skin wet:

I can definitely smell the orchid. I can't smell much else right now, and it's quite a light scent.

 

Dried down:

Ah, the fruit's starting to come out now. Not very much, but it's there at least, now. It's a lovely mix of fruit and floral- just right. I think I have a new favourite!

[porcelina]

VERY flowery and very soapy. i don't like this one so much. it's a teensy bit fruity... but mostly stinky flowers and soap.

[Limelight]

Rosy florals floating above grubby, oil-stained streets. Oh, seriously. It's like the mix of flavors you get walking through any big city. It does have some mountain air breezy quality to it as well. Kind of intriguing for me. Wouldn't say it was worth a 5ml, but I'm glad I have an imp or two.

[LadyCrow]

In the imp: Very strongly bamboo.

 

Wet: Bamboo dominates first, then cherry blossom and orchid come in, along with the fruits.

 

Drydown: This is both stronger and longer-lasting than I would have expected of an ozone scent, or one with these notes in general. I think the metallics anchor everything and the fruits give it that slight stickiness of walking through a hot city in summer, when you wonder how the people in extremely formal business suits aren't dying. I lived in a city for a decade and have been exiled from it (not literally, but we all like to be dramatic, or we wouldn't relish these scent descriptions, would we?) for two and change; this scent makes me miss it. Alas, a modern city fallen so soon!

[laliloo]

My first review

 

I'm not going to be able to pick out notes and give such wonderful, descriptions as everyone here seems able to do, as I'm a real newbie to all of this.

 

Neo-Tokyo arrived in my first imp order about a month ago. I ordered 12 imps, received 14 and of the 12 ordered, four of them were discontinued the day after my order shipped. Annoyingly, of those four, three were my favourites - Empyreal Mist, Dublin and... Neo-Tokyo.

 

In the imp Neo-Tokyo smells slightly minty with a slight tinge of cherry and flowers.

 

When I first put it on, I get a gorgeous minty smell wafting around - it's not cold mint, somehow. It's fresh but has a slight warmth to it. Think cool rather than cold. The mint fades once the oil has dried and the smell changes very much - it's so different to how it smells in the imp and when I first put it on. This seems to be a common theme with the BPAL oils I've tried so far! Once it's dried, the cherryblossom smell and I think possibly orchid and bamboo take over - I'm unsure if I'm just assuming that's what the smells are from the description, but this is a very unusual and absolutely gorgeous perfume on me. It stays cool but has a depth to it that I absolutely adore.

 

Luckily, I've managed to procure a 5ml of this from eBay, as I was feeling a bit let-down that I wouldn't be able to get a bottle from the lab. Empyreal Mist and Dublin will have to stay as special occasion imps for me, unless they get reinstated by the lab!

Edited June 21, 2007 by laliloo

[maribouquet]

Oooh, I really like the ozone in this! And it does smell metallic somehow, but not harsh thanks to the lightness of the bamboo. I can't quite detect the floral or the cherry blossom, but overall I like this.

 

Not an immediate, deep love for me, but I am sorry to hear it's been discontinued. I can see why so many like it!

[bryghtrose]

I got a sniffle of this in a swap, and I resisted trying it for a few weeks, just because I was afraid I would absolutely love it and be heartbroken at it's unavailability.

 

I finally tried it this weekend, and while it is lovely, it's not an OMG must have, so I'm safe.

 

It's an airy, green springtime scent. I love the freshness and intricate simplicity of the scent, it has a very Japanese aesthetic.

[stardreamer]

This goes on as a light mix of sweet fruit and floral... and disappears very quickly. It has almost no throw, and after 4 hours, nothing remains except a very slight touch of ozone/aquatic. Not a bad scent, but there's nothing memorable about it and I like my fragrances to last longer than this, so to the swap pile it goes.

[aestien]

Bottle: crisp bamboo, citrus, floral

Wet: there is definitely a crispness to this blend, metallic, but not too sharp of a metallic, the fruit is barely there, right now this is mostly a crisp green bamboo, metallic, ozone, with the tiniest hint of the sweetness of the fruit and the cherry blossoms

Dry: sweetens as it dries, fruit, cherry blossoms and the orchid come to the front as the metallics fade

 

This is a great scent for hot summer days. When I first tried this in the spring, I liked this better on me as it dried, as ozone and metallic scents don’t usually fit my personality very well, but as the weather got hotter and I was the mood for something that smelled green, this was perfect. It’s elegant, sophisticated, but not too sharp.

[evilbee]

Another discontinued scent?? There is nothing out there like this, except maybe Empyreal Mist and that's gone too!!! Maybe the same element in both has caused the discontinuance??

 

This starts with lots of soft, not overly sweet cherry but quickly fades into something sweet and crisp, like Asian pear with bamboo. The metallic tang is barely there. Unfortunately this is very brief, and because of that I didn't order a big bottle. Damnit.

[mellie]

Bottle: Sweet and bitter at the same time. It's almost like a metallic floral, but florals smell pretty nasty to me, usually, and this one doesn't smell like that, so I don't know if it's the cherry blossoms or the fruits coming out.

 

Application: It hasn't really changed much. It's a bit more crisp than it was in the bottle, and some of the sweetness has faded, but that metallic feel is still there.

 

Dry: It's pretty. Actually, I think it's too pretty. The floral came out and completely obliterated everything else. The metallic is gone, which is a shame because I really liked that.

 

I think if this stayed the way it was when I first put it on, I'd like it more, but... Too floral for me. It's a shame. I didn't get any fruit or bamboo from this, so I was pretty bummed.

 

I sent it to a friend. I hope she likes it.

[poisons_sanity]

Neo-Tokyo smells like a more "adult" version of Jailbait to me. I still smell the cherries and the bubblegum of Jailbait, but with a lot less bubblegum and more cherry. If you like Jailbait, you'll probably love this.

[hkhm]

imp: this smells like a light, fruity aquatic to me.

 

wet: this is crisp and sweet fruits with a sort of watery, rainy scent. i definitely get the 'crisp mountain air' feel from this scent.

 

dry: tis dries a a faint, sweet fruit scent that lingers for a while. i like it because it is so faint and delicate and with i had more than my imp.

[donnatron]

Imp: Bath and Body Works cherry blossom scent.

 

Wet: This goes metallic on my skin, which is a but off-putting, but I soldier on.

 

Dry: Tangy sort of cherry blossom, bamboo scent. Very light and feminine to my nose.

 

Throw: Okay.

 

Overall: I'm not really fussed about this. I think it will go to a friend who is a Sailor Moon fan but not much of a perfume fan. At least she'll get a kick out of the name.

[fairnymph]

In the bottle: Pale honey coloured oil. Cherry (not blossom, but almost-candylike, quite sweet and a bit artificial benzaldehyde-y), ozone, light metal - the sort of metal from Mechanical Phoenix. Silvertone, clean. A strange mix, like flashing neon lights - appropriate!

 

Wet: Still very fruity-candy fake cherry, but less sweet. More metallic, almost cologney, but not quite. Light and airy, and the green, aquatic bamboo is emerging, as well as a hint of actual blossoms. Much less jarring and more complex, but still fundamentally paradoxical.

 

Dry: Wow, so much nicer! The cherry is still very fruity-sweet and definitely hot pink, but no longer artificial. The cherry blossom has massively amped, but somehow the candy of the cherry, the cool, fresh greenness of the bamboo and the brightness of the metal keep it from being too heady.

 

Later: Oh, some delicious musk has emerged, and the bamboo has gone deliciously mossy-woody. The cherry is light fruit, no longer candy-sweet, but very natural. Likewise the cherry blossom has faded, though not quite as much; but it's light and feminine. Metal distant, ozone gone.

 

Summary: Musk, oakmoss/patchouli (some sort of earthy woodsy thing!) and green-aquatic bamboo over full bloom cherry blossoms, light fruity cherry and a fainty airy metallic tang. Morphs and blends into a modern, innocent-yet-sexy feminine scent. Decent throw, good lasting power.

 

I really want a bottle of this! *sigh*

Edited May 21, 2008 by fairnymph

[savage_rose]

At first this smells so gorgeous and light! Sparking, fizzy, lovely. And then it becomes fizzy cherry blossom...still nice, but a little strange. I'm glad I have the imp, but I'm not sad that I can't get a bottle.

[gchris]

In Vial: Fruit and soap

 

Wet: This is really soapy. Burns the inside of my nose.

 

Drydown: Cirtrus and soap, a bit powdery. This is leaning towards baby powder.

[undream]

oh, this is so beautiful. the notes i get most are bamboo, cool, crisp air, cherry blossom, and a clear, citrusy scent. the throw is somewhat different, a little warmer, a little more floral & citrus. both are equally as gorgeous.

 

i love love love this, and i am devastated that it is a discontinued scent!

[sleepflower]

This is 'my' BPAL scent. You can ask anyone around me, I cannot shut up about it. I bought an imp very shortly before it was discontinued, and I guarded that imp with my life. I rarely wore it. I have a bottle now, and even then I guard it with my life. I am probably selfish enough never to let anyone around me try it out. I even get nervous if it happens to fall over, and things like that.

 

In the bottle, ozone and very faint cherry blossoms.

 

Wet on skin, florals and ozone. I smell bamboo.

 

After a while, this is honestly the first BPAL scent that got an emotional reaction from me. It smells like highrises above heavily-trafficked streets with cherry blossoms and bamboo kind of hovering. It is gentle, floral, 'electric'.

 

It lasts forever on me and it is a scent that kind of 'wafts' up to my nose every so often.

 

Sigh.

[tragedy]

Initially this is citrus with a bite.

Something I cant quite put my finger on, acidic, astrigent, something that smells vaguely like lemon joy dish liquid.

On the drydown something woody comes out to stamp down the lemon joy smell, making it almost like a dusty citrus… rather nice.