Hanae Mori (new / Butterfly) (1995)
by Hanae Mori

I love it. It's sweet and delicious, fruiti-licious with buttery caramelly praline. When my sweet tooth kicks in this is where I go. The edt is amazingly long lasting and potent. I can't even imagine the longevity of the edp or parfum. This one has really grown on me. I think it's rather sophisticated for a candy frag. This and By Killian's Love are my two favorite sweeties at the moment.

I have a sweet tooth for gourmand scent. And HM pink Butterfly (edt strength) is simply mouth-watering gorgeous. I can't resist sniffing my arms constantly. Today, I think I smell good enough to eat. lol. And that's a lovely thought.

Caution: Sweet alert. If you hate sweet fragrances, read no more. This perfume opens with a bubblegum note, and I like bubblegum. The name is misleading on my sample. It merely states “Hanae Mori” EDP. I don’t think it is the original 1965 fragrance, which was peach, patchouli, and vanilla, or I would be crazy about it. It must be the new Butterfly, which is strawberry, bilberry, black currant, rose, jasmine, ylang-ylang, sandalwood, almond, and praline. At any rate, the fruit notes are indistinct; they may as well be peach. Together, they form a tutti-frutti concoction that is creamy and candylike. (I am surprised that this is Japanese; I thought they preferred clean, transparent scents, but this does fit in with their enchantment with all things “cute.”) It doesn’t do anything astonishing, but the pleasing bubblegum note carries on for a long time. It’s childlike and fun, and I can’t help liking it. It won’t replace Coco the more grown-up, fruity fragrances in my wardrobe, but I do enjoy it.

This one is okay.  I was pleasantly surprised, as I don't like Hanae Mori on a blotter and I don't like it on the gal at work who wears too much on occasion.  Whatever it is that makes it smell like vanilla is smooth, easier on my nose than the sharp vanilla in Dior Addict. Its light, tropical fruits are blended in a way that makes it a little more sophisticated than the dessert scents it seems to want to be grouped with. It is a little bit refined despite itself. Hanae Mori is definitely at its best when applied sparingly. It is still just too sweet for me, though.

To be perfectly honest, this is just a slightly more refined version of all those sugar-sweet 'body sprays' they market towards young girls and women. If you like sweet and pink, then you'll love this. Personally, it gives me a headache.

This is a pretty decent perfume. To me, it's very, very sweet and musky, and there isn't much development over the life of the perfume. It does have amazing longevity as it lasts longer on me than any other perfume I've ever tried. I like wearing it occasionally, but I probably wouldn't buy it again.