Aroma M's "Geisha Blue" will *not* be denied.

Aroma M's scent oil "Geisha Blue" is meant to be soothing and calming. LuckyScent's description is all about the olfactory serenity:

The indigo shadows of twilight. Calm, quiet, almost magical. The star ingredient of this distinctive fragrance is blue chamomile, famed in botanical circles for its wondrous soothing properties. Green tea, jasmine and a hint of honey round out this otherworldly blend. Tranquil and unique.

A compelling description, no? Almost like a mini-vacation in a rollerball.

It's less hyperbole than you might think, but it is a bit of a trick getting there. When Geisha Blue first hits the skin it opens up with an unusual tang. To me there is definitely some therapeutic essence involved, because as I sniffed at my wrist I noticed that the smell seemed to somehow have 'mouth feel.' It feels rich - almost fatty but not heavy - in the nose and seemed to penetrate into the sinuses. I could feel the fragrance in addition to just smelling it, which was odd but not unpleasant. Geisha Blue is gentle enough that the experience made me take notice but not reel back in horror - had this been a shrill scent, I'm sure it it would have been unpleasant.

The blue chamomile stands out strongly, and does give it a blue feel. Notes listed are blue chamomile, green tea, leafy greens, jasmine, and honey so you might expect this to veer blue-green, or even blue into green after drydown, but you would be wrong. This puppy is BLUE. Energetic but calm blue, like 10 am on a gorgeous July morning sky blue. It is a dry blue, though, not watery or aquatic.

I really wracked my brain trying to figure out if I was getting so much 'blue' feel just from the suggestion given by the name. Forgive me for going on about the color, but it is pretty unusual for a scent to leave that strong of a color impression with me. I'm not a natural synasthete, and I sometimes have to stretch to associate a scent with a color if it isn't fairly obvious - like a 'green' scent that smells of plants. For example, I don't get blue from L'Heure Bleue, but I do from Blue Cedar. And now, Geisha Blue.

Fair warning: Geisha Blue is a perfume oil, so a little dab'll do you. Tonight after applying just the teensiest amount, I had a regret moment when I wasn't sure if it was what I wanted to wear after all, so I washed it off and attempted to switch over to Eau Duelle. Five minutes later? A faint whiff of.....something arm wrestling with Geisha Blue and losing. She's that tenacious.

I gave up, washed again, reapplied Geisha Blue, and relaxed into its insistent embrace. Geisha Blue is definitely herbaceous, but she calms down after about five minutes and becomes slightly but not oppressively powdery. Maybe fifteen minutes in, the the other notes come together and warm the fragrance up a bit more. It never gets terribly sweet on me even with the honey. I'm glad for this, since I can see using Geisha Blue as a mood-lifter or to soothe a slight headache, in addition to enjoying it just as perfume. It reminds me strongly of the drydown from limited edition Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab yule offering Chanukkiyah minus the sweetness, even though they have no notes in common and the closest we get with the BPAL oil is beeswax to Geisha Blue's honey note. The resemblance is strong enough that I went nuts trying to figure out where I had smelled the scent before. There needs to be a term for deja vu of scent.

Verdict: once that sample is gone, it's a fair bet I'm getting a rollerball. She won't get as much regular wear as her sister Blanche, but when I'm having a Blue day I'll be glad I've got her around.



Image from LuckyScent, which is also where I purchased my sample

Aroma M "Geisha Blanche"

Aroma M fragrances hit my hat trick of 'want.' They are portable, have great longevity, and come in adorable packaging. The line produces both roller balls of perfume oils, and more traditional spray bottles of EDP, but my particular obsession is with the roller balls. They are small enough to tote in purse or pocket but big enough that they aren't likely to get lost or go through the wash accidentally. They come packaged in decorative rice paper and wrapped in a pouch made of kimono fabric. (Packaging win.) Also, and the oils I've tried thus far smell amazing.

My first Aroma M experience was Geisha Blanche. The promo copy suggests that wearing this oil will be soothing and will leave the wearer smelling like they've just stepped out of the shower after using expensive high-end soap. Please. Maybe I just don't get out much or stay in the right places, but I have never encountered soap that smelled this good. Yes, there is a soapiness to the fragrance but not at the opening. The opening is all creamy citrus and very light orange blossom to me. Then the soap comes in, and it smells like what you might get if you mixed the old formulation of Camay with the current white french soap from Avene, and set it out for hotel guests in heaven. I do get the 'fluffy white towel' accord about an hour in, as the scent starts to settle with my chemistry. If you are not a fan clean laundry scents, don't let the potential for towel note scare you - it's not laundry soapish smelling, or starched shirt smelling.

The closest I can get to explaining this note is to go back a looooong time. I can remember being small enough to sit, knees scrunched up, in a square laundry basket. I used to love to do this when sheets and towels came out of the dryer, so my mom could mound them on me and I'd be buried in the soft clean warmth. This is the smell of Geisha Blanche. It's the warmth part that is key, because it is not at all detergent-ish. The cotton scent is distinct from the soap scent, and I'm glad for that because it doesn't make it smell like Sunday-time-to-strip-the-beds washtime. Somehow, this fragrance actually smells like hot cotton, and creamy face soap, with a whisper of flowers and orange water.

Verdict: Lovely perfume, and easily the most soothing substance you can legally slip into your pocket for the price. 4 stars.

Available from LuckyScent, where I purchased my rollerball. Picture is from this same source.