Jabu by Mona di Orio, 2009

I've been wanting to try this since its press release, giving myself plenty of time to build up a high expectation. Note to self: its best to not do this.

To me this opens with a strong tobacco blast, confusing because the note is not listed. After 10 minutes this does fade, leading into a flat, yeasty phase that reminds me of a half-baked loaf of bread. Again, not sure where this is coming from given the notes listed.

Two hours later the honey note finally soars, and this is when I appreciate this scent the most. It is long lasting and high quality, and does develop in different directions. But in general, I was expecting something with more **sparkle**, I wanted the orange flower and plum notes to really bubble up in a joyful way, as this fragrance led me to believe. I'd like to see what this smells like with petit grain swapped out for Bergamot, and the coconut replaced with another floral.

This is by no means a stinker, but if I were the marketing agent I would have called it 'bread' instead of 'joy'.

Chewy citrus opening followed by a rounded, mellow, softly resinous pillow of a fragrance. Heavily orientalized though it is, it still manages to stay soft and homely throughout its development. Lasts a full day on one or two sprays, but I keep spraying it again and again just for that initial rush of candied citrus. Tolerably sweet. Nothing cloying, but I wouldn't want to wear it in the heat of summer.

I'm having a hard time pinpointing notes in this one, as it seems to skip the rational part of my brain and skips straight to the "I need this" part of it.