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BPAL Madness!
Sarah

Kyoto

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A gentle, soothing blend of cherry blossom, white sandalwood and star anise.


Initial Sniff
From the vial I smelled a sweet scent, tinged with tartness. It reminded me of rich, ripe plums.

Initial Reaction
Wet, an immediate woodsy smell was prevalent, with a hint of cherry. I detected some kind of spicy licorice note (kind of medicinal if you're familiar with the Oriental apothecaries), and I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but it reminded me of my dad cooking in the kitchen. Then I realized it was star anise! I made my brother sniff my wrist, and he said it reminded him of chrysanthemum tea (dried instant variety, not the fresh petals). I have a love affair with star anise; it invokes memories of home-cooked food, so this quickly grew on me.

Overall
As typical with most oils I've tried, this one didn't last very long, but that's just my skin chemistry. The star anise faded and you're left with a light cherry note. Most people unfamiliar with Asian-type scents may be put off by this. However, if you like licorice, you just might want to give this a try.

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First sniff: When I get plum wine in Japanese restaurants, often they put a maraschino cherry at the bottom of the glass. The scent of Old Kyoto is the taste of that cherry – very sweet and fruity, but with a smooth round richness to it.

 

Wearing: There’s something spicy under the cherries that grounds it nicely. After a couple minutes on the aura smells a bit like bubblegum. :P It’s more sophisticated if I sniff it directly – there’s almost a wood note underneath, like the bark of the cherry-tree topnote. Or sandalwood, since that’s actually in there… :D but it’s not the overpowering dryness I usually associate with sandalwood, it’s warmer, sunnier. The bubblegummy aura fades very quickly and it turns into a gorgeous mature-but-fruity scent.

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YES!! A version of Black Phoenix that I can actually wear and love!!

 

This was the first thing that came into my mind when I sniffed Old Kyoto for the first time -- there's something nutty and incensey about the drydown of Black Phoenix that I just can't tolerate, and this is all the sweet cherry/almondy goodness and sassy spice of that scent, but juicy and fruity throughout the wearing period!

 

Will most definitely be a clubbing/party/going out scent for me, I will douse myself in this one and just smell the entire place up with yumminess!

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I am really surprised by how much I like this one ... I ordered it off the site description, mainly because I LOVE Lush Sakura ballistic which is also cherry blossom ...

 

Then, when I was reading the reviews here, I started thinking "uh oh" ... and then when I tried the Imps Ear I was sent as an extra of Kitsune-whatever, which I HATED, I thought I was not going to like this at all.

 

I can't stand fruity scents, normally. But this one was lovely and odd and strange and mesmerizing. I'd get a hiff of grapeyness, but a deep red-purple one that had some spice to it ... like glogg, maybe, more than wine.

 

When I do first try, I apply it sparingly, to wrists and inner arm ... I am looking forward to my next test drive on this one where I will put on a little more and if I still like it, this could definitely be a 5 ML purchase (so far, with four imps ears left to try, it looks like I will be buying six of the eight that I chose for myself in my 12 imps ears package, as well as another 5 ML of my old favorite Veil ... I am thinking I did some very good choosing!!!)

 

UPDATE JULY 10, 2005: Interesting turn of events ... on that aforementioned test drive I didn't like this AT ALL and ended up swapping it ... but as you can see that was also early in my BPAL-dom ... I re-ordered this recently and also got it as a frimp, so I have yet another imp forthcoming ... I wanted to give it another try and am now going to review this with a newer and I'd like to think more sophisticated nose ...

 

BOTTLE: For whatever reason I am getting almond!!!

WET: A sugary medicinal cherry combined with almond. NOT Sakura but nevertheless intriguing. I usually hate cherry but this works for me and I keep sniffing my wrist ... It's very sweet candy!

DRYDOWN: The anise rises and I smell like a Good N Plenty but a really complex sophisticated one.

I am so glad I tried this again ... it's not something I would wear on a regular basis but it is definitely a keeper this time around!!!

 

ON a scale of 1-5 I'd give it a strong 4.

Edited by JazzieCazzie

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Immediately, there was a very strong note of cherry..quite bitter...and eventually a couple of more notes entered into the fray subduing the cherry and after drydown the cherry mixed with these other notes to give it a nice blended scent. The cherry still is a major note in this and somehow this reminds me of a toy shop...likes toysrus or something...Didn't like it very much at all...it's sort of an artificial sweet scent to me.

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FIRST SNIFF: almond & cherry

 

WEARING IT: warmer, spicier, woodier but still that cherry in there. definitely a licorice undertone.

 

FINAL VERDICT: i can't do the licorice thing so am not a huge fan of this one, although i wanted to be!

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I have come to find that cherry doesn't work so well on me. I love cherries but as perfume I end up smelling chemical-y.

 

That said, Old Kyoto didn't work as well as I'd hoped. I smelled like melty red popsicle for a while, and then light pretty flowers (like honeysuckle) stuck in sticky popsicle melt. Then after 1/2 an hour... woooooosh! it was gone.

 

Oh well. I'll console myself by shoveling fresh cherries from the Farmer's Market in my mouth all July long.

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I got this one in a swap and so far I think its great! when I first sniffed it I got mostly cherries, which is exactly what I wanted. on the cherry and sandalwood and anise balanced perfectly, I could smell all three and they didn't overpower eachother. I love the sweetness of the cherries, and the deepness that the anise and sandalwood bring. it seemed to mellow out quite quickly, but it didn't fade so much that I coulden't still get wiffs of it. I really like this one.

:P

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Seems like anise must not like my skin, as it took off running in Old Kyoto and became almost overpowering within 15 minutes.

 

This starts out so well, though - it's a shame I'm not going to be able to wear it. The cherry bloosom and white sandalwood were gorgeous together, as the white sandalwood seems to be so much less heavy and sharp than red sandalwood; it never overpowered the cherry blossom's light, sweet flower. For the first 2 minutes or so, the anise is even nice - it's got a beautiful rust-tone that gives Old Kyoto real dignity and quiet strength.

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A lovely freebie sent in my package. And a well chosen one at that.

 

First Impression: Lovely, lively star anise...if Japan smells like this, then that's where I want to be.

 

Second Impression: If Old Morocco is root beer than Old Kyoto is sasparilla. Sweet, bubbly and spicy.

 

Final Analysis: Oh it's fading too quickly. I love the warm, slight fruitiness and gentle spice. Well blended and delicious.

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When first applied there's a cherry rush of sweetness that I really, really like--almost like it's mixed with almond, though I know that's not in the description. As it dries, the cherry sweetness turns on me and becomes a little artificial smelling. It also seems to pick up its darker background notes, which I can't pick out individually, but which must be the anise and sandlewood. They sort of drag down and thicken the cherry, but not in a way I really like. I love the idea of this scent, but alas, I don't think it will work for me.

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in the vial: MEMORY TRIGGER! Some kind of nasty medicine I used to take when I was a kid...fake bubblegum flavored nasty medicine...

 

wet, on my skin: Ooh! Yes, that plum wine you get at the end of the meal at Japanese resturaunts...then it changes very quickly to something that reminds me of Blood Lotus mixed with Pele...I'm intensely intrigued by this one...it's not actually juicy, but it's juicy in a dry way, if that makes any sense. Because I read star anise, I smell star anise, but left to my own devices, I never would have detected it...it's very well blended in there. This is very smooth and mellow.

I like it a lot. This feels like one of those effortless second skin scents on me.

 

drying, on my skin: I really like this one a lot. I smell like a ripe plum as it fades, and I'm tempted to bite into my arm lol. :P

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Gorgeous light creamy cherry blossoms. It's a little acrid in the bottle, sharp and clean.

 

On my skin this mellows into a beautiful pale floral scent, very cherry blossom and sweet. The anise and sandalwood are giving this a very faint woodsy tone, but it's clean and clear. All I am reminded of is standing in Washington and smelling the rows and rows of blooming cherry trees.

 

Beautiful scent, light and a good everyday wear. A keeper!

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The Star Anise comes right to the top with me. The Cherries are just under the surface with the sandlewood behind everything.

 

This is another that smells spicey floral on me. Which I love. I wasn't sure by the description, that I would like this. However, as usual, I've misjudged, and I LOVE it. Another for the big bottle list :P

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When I put this on initially, it smells reminscent of my beloved Eclipse <3

 

However on drydown you can smell the cheries and almonds. When its dried further the anise is at the edge of the scent, accenting it to create double edged blend of sweetness and sharpness.

 

Unfortunately the anise became dominent though and makes the blend unsuitable for me.

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Old Kyoto

 

...is spicy in a light, airy way. Very tasty! It isn't as intense as some of the Asian-spicy BPALs (Djinn, for example.)

 

Immediately on the skin, it smells like sweet, spicy cherrywood, and dries to a soft, subltle version of the same.

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When Kyoto first went on it was cherry and almonds, then as it dried the sandalwood and anise emerged. This is like a less sweet, slightly woody version of Kabuki.

 

I'm pleased that the cherry didn't become sickly-sweet, as it has in other blends, but combined with the star anise it was rather medicinal and not really something I'd want to wear. I just don't think cherry works well on me, sadly.

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When first applied this was delicious - just like bakewell tart. It became more chemical, similar to acetone, which faded completely leaving just the barest hint of sandalwood and nothing else.

 

After assuming this scent wasn't going to work for me I was surprised to smell cherry about an hour later. Unfortunately it was a very sweet, artificial scent and not to my taste.

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I got an Imp of Old Kyoto as a freebie - it's something I would never have considered getting for myself as I don't like the smell of cherry blossoms.

 

In the vial - almonds, but like an overly sweet, heavy amaretto.

 

On my skin - this dried down to a cherry blossom and bubblegum scent. I really didn't like this at all. It reminded me of the Lush Sakura bath ballistic, which I can't stand. For me, Old Kyoto had the same washing-powdery smell as Sakura. Luckily it faded quickly on my skin.

 

This one's probably getting put on the swaps pile I'm afraid.

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When first applied there's a cherry rush of sweetness that I really, really like--almost like it's mixed with almond, though I know that's not in the description.  As it dries, the cherry sweetness turns on me and becomes a little artificial smelling.  It also seems to pick up its darker background notes, which I can't pick out individually, but which must be the anise and sandlewood.  They sort of drag down and thicken the cherry, but not in a way I really like.  I love the idea of this scent, but alas, I don't think it will work for me.

 

 

Those are my thoughts exactly, so Ill just say ditto and :P (I like these smilies a bit too much!)

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This scent is beautiful!

 

I put Kyoto on, and I feel as if I've been rolling around in Cherry Blossom's, in Old Kyoto... I can picture it, just from this scent....

 

It smells so beautiful, and so realistic, as if you're really there in Japan.... Just close your eyes and you are!

 

I'm not completely sure what the other scents are, but in a way this is almost candy sweet, but not SICKLY sweet... It's just beautiful and makes you feel as if you've travelled far away, and somehow were lucky enough to come to Kyoto during Cherry Blossum time and got a chance to watch it unfold!

 

All in all, this scent is beautiful =)

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To me, Old Kyoto smells like cherry Luden's cough drops, which I loved as a kid.

 

This is a great scent!

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Kyoto has notes similar to Kabuki, the cherry blossom and star anise. But instead of red musk, it has white sandalwood. On me, it's a great improvement, the red musk in Kabuki just didn't work for me, it made the whole blend too sweet. But in Kyoto, the sandalwood really tones things down. This ends up being very delicate and quite feminine, but not girly at all. I like it :P

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In the bottle: Cherries! Yum.

 

Immediately after application: cherries with a sharp note.

Drying: Whoa. This is a really sharp note, sort of like nail polish. I sort of don’t like it, but I sort of do (and I have a non-existent relationship with nail polish!).

 

In less than half an hour, this is a mysterious cherry—it’s not straight out cherry, put I can’t put my finger on what’s behind the cherry. After an hour, I can smell the anise, which I guess was what was making Kyoto mysterious.. Licorice and I do not get along well. Fortunately, in the second hour, the star anise really recedes, or, at least, blends in really well into the background, so Kyoto is more like light, sweet cherry candy. It’s not strongly sweet, though, more like the smell of sweet cherry candy blown in the wind. This really fades in the fifth hour.

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I haven't been reviewing in a while, because I had a cold and couldn't smell anything. However I'm on the mend, although my sense of smell may be slightly off still. I'm still giving this my best go.

 

In the vial: Sweet. Very, very candy sweet.

 

Wet: The woodsiness of the sandalwood mingling with that sweet note. There's also something else that I think is the anise.

 

Drydown: This lightens up and the sweet intensity dies down a bit. It's cherry blossoms mingling with anise over a background of sandalwood.

 

Final thoughts: This is delicious. It's light and spicy all at the same time. I really like it.

Edited by inkstone

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