Umè (2006)
by Keiko Mecheri

My favorite of the Keiko Mecheri's I've sampled. All KM's seem formulated not to offend, to the point of being bland (Hanae) or stuffy (Grenats). Ume narrowly avoids a similar fate by adding a delicate salt-and-smoke edge to the fruity heart notes that is enough to keep you interested over the course of it's relatively short lifespan. I totally get the Coco Mademoiselle comparison. Both are chypre-lites with a bergomat/jasmine/woody accord. Prada Tendre is even more of a lookalike, being all of the above, but with plum instead of apricot. In fact, if you like this kind of thing, Prada Tendre is half the price and worth a try.

A really lovely fragrance that opens with strawberries and lemon -- it can jolt you a bit at first. This is then enhanced by what was suggested as lychees, but turns out to be a gorgeous, lush plum rendition. It then stays linear with the above notes for it's duration (it musks out slightly), which is a long,long time. It all sounds rather feminine, but surprisingly isn't -- the notes mix wonderfully and Ume doesn't turn powdery at all, so I wear it happily. The sillage is really good, unlike Bois de Santal, where it is quite minimalist. I shall be trying more from this House, especially the peach rendition for the summer. I haven't smelt anything quite like this before and Ume goes straight into rotation. This fragrance needs to be experienced by everyone.

The notes and the fragrance (to me) seem not to match; this made me feel as if someone had cut out a segment of Coco Chanel and transplanted it over a different base. Extremely pretty and wearable.

A woody floral that's really, really good. I like the tuberose-like accord that's possibly the combination of several fruit notes. A rich, warm, musky drydown. Men, wear this with confidence.

I first received UME as a sample with another order. From the description and notes listed, it sounded a bit fussy to me, nothing I would have ordered unsniffed. My initial impression was that it smelled similar to my husband's shaving cream. It opens with a blast of lemon that is creamy/hot and balmy rather than sweet/tart. It is a savory lemongrass note. The plum note is there as well but it reminds me of salted dried plums instead of wet, fresh or overly sweet ones. At the heart of this scent is full bodied persimmon, which is sweet, slightly pulpy and slightly tangy but rounded out nicely with rich spices. Under all the exotic flavors is a wonderful wood base- Japanese cypress which is also called Hinoki, which smells similar to Juniper but softer. I love this perfume- some other reviewers seem to find it rather sweet and derivative. But to me, it is utterly unique and LuckyScent describes it rather well as to me it does indeed recall the orientalism of the Art Deco period. This is a perfect fall scent to wear with a big leather jacket, lace shirt, stove pipe jeans and high heel boots! A winner in my book.