Bon Zai by Ayala Moriel, 2001

For me, it's pretty straightforward conifer and cedar  cheerful, and decidedly unisex. (Right down the middle unisex!) But the conifer isn't oily or weighted down. I'm guessing the citrus and shisho keep it sparkly, and the rose tempers any bitterness. For the most part, this plays linear on me, maybe because it's just what I'm craving now at the tail end of a Northeast winter (cedar and evergreen, floating through warm, fresh air). It's welcome and fortifying. A delight! Edit: I tried this again, and this time, I did smell something green and tangy . Time for a full size!

Beautiful light green scent with a very masculine edge... Having tried it in winter does not apear to have lasted very much on my skin. Will try it in summer time and will return with a more formal review about longevity and sillage... Big thumbs up...!

At first I thought it smelled like juniper and pine; by the end of the day it was rosemary. A tiby bit of lemon verbena, wood, and vetiver. No rose. Overall I liked it.

Bon Zai is interesting, but I am of mixed mind about it. I love the dry-down, which is one of the most satisfying sandalwood-vetiver combos Ive encountered. It is beautiful! The wood is sandalwood, not agarwood as indicated above. Getting to the finish line is another matter. Nothing problematic in the journey, but it was not what I expected. The opening is very fruity (tangerine), and then it quickly shifts to a kind of toasty, baked-good aspect. Some have called that like hay or grass, but I think it is the shiso oil which apparently can be like sesame. I dont find this to be a green or spicy scent at all. Nor do I detect any cedar or juniper notes. Verbena or rose likewise are not readily apparent, at least to me. So kudos for the last phase, but Im neutral on the initial phases.

I tried this because I was curious about shiso. It smells herbal, live and green, spicy and delectable. It pairs nicely with evergreen notes; therefore, it is presented with cedar and juniper. Tangerine leads the way into this fragrance and gives is a citrus edge, along with lemony verbena. Woody vetiver is apparent in the base. Overall, the fragrance is a bit too light for me. It is the scent of the needles and the wood of the tree, but not much below the trunk. I wonder if more earthy patchouli would allow this little tree to grow. But then, it would no longer be a miniature bonsai.