HM Hanae Mori / ハナヱ モリ 1998 Eau de Toilette

I discovered this fragrance quite a while ago and was pretty excited at first. The great, citrusy-minty-berry top note has done it to me quite. The mixture of lightness and Asian mysticism I have never smelled anywhere else. Somewhere here I read that the fragrance conveys the image of a samurai and I think that fits. Perhaps the image of a humble gentleman samurai, businessman by day and .... moment by night, the story already exists. In a quickly written statement, I described the scent as a berry-chocolate niche version of CK-One and I still think that fits well regarding the top notes.

Then I floundered. The user Schoork (Where have you gone?), which I hold in high esteem, wrote a neat tear-down here. He accused the fragrance after a few minutes to become merely sultry sweet and thus interchangeable and not at all hold so long. I couldn't really relate to the second criticism, but it's true, the beautiful top note is completely displaced at times. The fragrance is actually very chocolaty, from balanced creaminess is there not yet so much to notice.

For a long time, I was not sure whether my enthusiasm for the top note is enough to find this fragrance in its entirety still so good, or whether it is ultimately not yet an interchangeable drugstore fragrance, which impresses only with a beautiful top note. I've often worn it at home as a "feel good" scent. I don't know what it is, but right now I'm inclined to second guess Schoork's judgment. Maybe the bottle contents have matured further, or maybe it's because I've been paying more attention to fragrance development again. In any case, in my opinion, the second, sultry-sweet wave of scent is replaced by a third phase in which mint and berry are again perceptible in a nice, creamy overall composition. And this third phase is actually a super combination of sweet chocolate, creamy vanilla and just a little berry freshness.

Now I am sure of my judgment: the fragrance is super. Who endures the unusual scent progression, will enjoy all phases of the fragrance. Since the scent progression also sets in very quickly, you can even calculate well when you come to the third phase. I personally find the third phase even office compatible.

Anyway, I learned a few things with this fragrance. For one, that Parfumo is really a great place to highlight different facets of a fragrance. For another, I learned to give a fragrance time and attention and to trust my own nose. :-) In this sense, have fun testing!