Hei (2002)
by Alfred Sung

Sorry, I am not a fan of this one, to the point that I asked my husband to get rid of this bottle. He tried to keep it at work and I would still smell it on him if he wore it. He had to let it go. For me, it had a cheap, plastic scent.

Smells a heck of a lot like Ungaro Apparition. A synthetic lavender floral that's green and crisp but very weak.

Hei is based on an excellent idea as far as I’m concerned — a minimalist green fragrance with a Fung Shui vibe. I think it is partially successful. The bamboo and mint notes are done sort of okay, but the notes are a bit muddled and massed in the 90’s tradition. This is exactly the kind of scent where there should be distinct separation between the notes. The mint should be a clear ethereal aromatic mint ringing its vibration through the rest of the green as the mint in Derby does. The bamboo should be its natural sharp wood / green self. If Hei isn’t meant to be a minimalistic fragrance; if this delicacy and separation isn’t achieved, then Hei is simply trying to complete with all the other massed notes fragrances from all the other modern releases, and if that’s the case, then bring on the fruit and the nutmeg and the synthetics. I don’t think Hei can compete with other scents on their terms. It should have gone another route — clear, precise, delicate bamboo, mint, and lightwood notes with an extremely subtle background of lavender, jasmine, and amber / white musk. It would have been smashing, but, as it is, Hei is a non-starter.

Pleasant, light, refreshing. Hei is very subtle, and close to the skin. Definitely a hot weather fragrance, best worn when half-naked, as wearing it under a shirt could snuff the gentle flowery notes right out! My first re-introduction to fragrance, I liked the watery top notes, but I understand why so many pan it. If only it was not so subtle, it would be much better.

Hei comes across as a standard bergamot/jasmine/cistus with tea. As most have stated, the citrus/floral (nice) aspect dried down way too fast and as a few have stated, the cistus was tenacious as hell. I occasionally get whiffs of the mint/fennel components but on my skin they are nothing compared to the cistus.
Altogether it lacks depth and development. Big yawn.
Concerto by Fragonard is quite similar and much, much more interesting.

I own it, and I usually only wear it around the house. The smell is common, the product is practically free these days, the smell fades withing 30 minutes, and the bottle tends to dribble after it shoots right out. Good if you get for a few bucks, but don't lose sleep for it...