Pleasant, Polite and Forgettable
Arashiyama d’Annam. A very pleasant fragrance. It sits close to the skin, never feels intrusive, and is also completely unmemorable and not particularly unique. It’s impossible to criticise because there is nothing really wrong with it. Nothing feels unbalanced or contradictory. Everything is nicely put together, light, modern and somehow very Asian in style. For me, it’s mainly about tea - white tea, perhaps with a little jasmine and fresh green grass plus soapiness. It starts quite soapy and eucalyptus-like. Bamboo is listed, but to me it smells much more like eucalyptus. As it develops, the soap becomes more violet-like, with just a tiny touch of lavender and some woodiness. Then it slowly transforms into a light vintage powderiness, definitely coming from the violet. There is also ozone, lots of air and freshness. It actually reminds me a lot of Zoologist Koala and Nishane Ege, but in a very light, diluted version. Both Koala and Ege feel much more complex and three-dimensional to me, almost like complete perfume statements. They really teleport me somewhere - Koala into its natural habitat, Ege straight to the Mediterranean coast. They stand out among fragrances with a similar fresh, airy character. Arashiyama is much less impressive. On my skin, it also becomes powdery quite quickly and loses almost all of its individuality. Still, it’s incredibly pleasant and refreshing, the kind of fragrance I can imagine wearing on a first date or to a business meeting when you don’t need your perfume to make a statement. You don’t want to enter the room with a huge trail or have people wondering what perfume you’re wearing. You simply want to smell nice. A quiet background fragrance built around freshness, soft powderiness and this slightly vintage Asian feeling.
