Continuing my March Mojo Trifecta, today we have Natori – which in some ways is less interesting than Miyake´s A Scent. It´s also something I´d really like to own. Is it genius? Nope. But it sure smells good.
When I was first trying to describe it to Louise I called it a “lingerie scent.” That seemed a little vague; what kind of lingerie? But Louise got it immediately. I´m not thinking of some vampy man-trap stuff. Instead, Natori is the perfume equivalent of an expensive but very soft, flattering set of underthings that you´d wear as much for your own pleasure as anyone else´s. Amusingly enough, I figured out while writing this post that (duh) Natori is a lingerie company, and judging by the photos online, the fragrance meshes with the brand perfectly.
Natori´s notes are aldehydes, rose, plum, ylang, peony, jasmine, patchouli, amber and musk. I have to say, I get very little in the way of aldehydes, even up front where you expect them. Instead it´s got a broad, sweeping profile with a little of the (dare I say it? I don´t want to scare anyone off) almost candied sweetness of Poison. Must be the plum. The rest of it is as seamless a surface as a lacquered box, with the florals and amber presenting as a rich, creamy, slightly spicy sweetness rather than individual flowers. The patchouli on my skin is very clean, and there is just enough musk to keep things sensual rather than blatantly sexy. It wouldn’t be my first choice for office wear, but it wouldn’t be ridiculous either.
Please don´t run away screaming – Natori doesn´t smell anything like Poison, really, and it doesn´t smell like Annick Goutal Passion either, which I blogged on recently, but I´d drop Natori in to the same slot in my perfume wardrobe as Passion. Natori is unabashedly pretty without being girly. It goes through a middle phase where it´s a tiny bit gourmand, which makes it feel more “now,” but mostly it seems timeless (neither “current” nor dated) in the same way that Passion seems timeless to me.
I am a person on whom scents last, and Natori was going strong eight hours later on my skin. I could still smell it on my inner arm, if I looked for it, a full 48 hours later, although at no time did I regret my generous application. And remember, this is in August heat. So the worn-out-your-welcome factor on this one seems to be surprisingly low for a scent that wears as richly as Natori does. Back to my lingerie comparison, it´s so well constructed that no individual parts begin to emerge and chafe over time.
I didn´t whip out my credit card on the spot for this – for one thing, I hate paying retail – but I´m thinking about it. I´d certainly wear it if a bottle fell into my lap. And let´s talk about that bottle – I am not a big bottle nut and I can´t think of a bottle recently I´ve coveted more. My only complaint is that the hole in the middle is – practically enough – translucent, so you can see the liquid inside. (I think either the juice and/or the window is tinted pale purple.) In photos it looks to me like it´s a hole in the bottle, like the thing´s donut-shaped, and I personally would have preferred that. What do you all think?
Natori is, I believe, an EDP. I sniffed it at Saks and was told it is an exclusive there, at least for the time being.
I tried it based on your recommendation but was disappointed.. it was pretty ordinary I thought.
There are not a lot of scents that work on me immediately and continue to work on me. After three days most notes seem to say, “OK, we’ve done the original, let’s tango into something else.” And suddenly, a perfectly nice Joe Malone Sweet Lime and Cedar, for example, turns into a sour-mash stored in a moth-proof closet made in shop class by meth-abusers. Sometimes, I can smell trouble ahead, sometimes not.
So when I sniffed Natori today, I got almost no aldehydes (WAH!) but a big jolt of plum (AHHH!) and then, just as March said, a seamless fabulous concoction that was amazing on me. Few things are amazing on me. On the other arm, Miyake’s A Scent was wrapped in freshly polished chrome–hard, bright, and smelling vaguely of Frontline Flea Collar worn by a pampered, nail-polished pit bull. How could that happen? It’s so unfair.
So I waited for an hour for the Natori to become mean, but it did not. As promised, it was feminine but not girly. I love it. I purchased the cream, as I am a sucker for body products. If in 3 days it hasn’t turned into something with a scythe and teeth, I’m paying full price for the EDT. It will be worth it.
No, I totally get the Poison reference. Of course the nearly identical bottle color adds to the similarity….
Cool, you’ve reviewed it so I can talk about it too. 🙂 I wasn’t crazy about the little plastic porthole, thought it would have looked better without it, or with a fingerhole instead, but whatever. I got lots of plum and hardly any aldehydes as well. (And I love Poison.) I plan on testing it a couple more times and then perhaps buying, but I hate paying retail too so I may wait until next year and get it at the discounters.
So it sounds like you got what I like, more or less. And you aren’t totally laughing at my Poison reference? I too would have loved a little hole in the center rather than a porthole…
Sigh. I smelled this and WANT IT NOW. Trying to be good tho so I may have to wait a few more minutes. I too was disappointed that it wasn’t an actual hole that you could put you finger thru, but I still won’t be satiated with a decant (want that bottle)…
I want it too, but I think I also want what I’ll be posting on Monday, and I don’t want to buy both … sigh. I think I need to go back over there and try to decide.
It sounds like our skin processes Natori differently! I wish I would have got more of the plum, like you did. I definitely got more aldehydes, lofting the scent up into the second soprano range, and I got a good dose of spicy balsamic goodness that reminded me of some of the orientals of the 1980s. But I totally agree that it’s a lingerie scent, and I adore the bottle! The little round window is definitely glass.
I was perfectly happy without the aldehydes, and I loved the plummy direction it took. Louise up there had a less than satisfactory experience, though! Overall, I am glad to be finding interesting things right now that don’t have to be ordered online from some obscure place. 🙂
Whoops– hit SAVE too soon. Thanks for letting me know about the window! I didn’t pay much attention when I was there, and thinking it might be plastic was sad…
If that hole had been an actual one, and not just a transparent window, I would have to look up this fragrance for sniffage. It was just such a beautiful image. A translucent spot so that you can see when you’re getting low might be helpful, but considering I’ll probably never finish a whole bottle of anything, not helpful in reality.
It sounds nice enough. I love those plum notes too.
Thanks for writing it up.
With you on never finishing the bottle, and you’re welcome! I should contemplate a post on plum.
I tried this during my spritzing extravaganza last weekend. Initial impression – nicely done department store fragrance. Of course, I can’t really render an intelligent opinion because I only sprayed this on my left ring finger knuckle, between Miyake’s A Scent and Guerlain’s Tokyo, or was it New York? But, I snagged a sample from the SA, so maybe I’ll give a whirl in a day or two. Oh, and I do like the bottle. Which looks kinda like a Rorschach inkblot to me.
Yes, that sounds like a typical sniffing expedition! It doesn’t seem like “you” to me… I could be wrong, though.
Aldehydes are me. And so are plums and some orientals, though Poison, not. Just depends on how it all pulls together. Synthetic harsh plastic? Ummm, not so much.
Harsh plastic, definitely not! If you get what Angela gets, it’d be more you. I have trouble separating you from aldehydes… 🙂
I agree with Francesca…I get a lot of value out of disagreement in scent opinion–or other areas of subjective review, for that matter. Not just entertainment value, mind you; there’s something to be gathered not only when you start to get a sense of where/when you tend to be simpatico with one or the other…there’s something about the way the space between data points gets re-defined and takes on more shape when more than one voice is drawing the contours.
Hmmm…maybe that’s how that bottle got made…a couple of clever people hashing it out…and now you can clearly see the hole in the middle…
Yeah, if you look closely, you can see the porthole (glass? it might be plastic, I didn’t really check.) And I like it when people weigh in with varied opinions. I knew Louise was sniffing this yesterday and asked her to weigh in.
I guess we won’t be splitting this one, eh? 🙂
It’s always so interesting when two knowledgeable perfumistas have diametrically opposed opinions on the same scent (i.e., March and Louise) The stuff sounds worth a sniff next time I’m in Saks, but not sure if it’d work for me to wear. I, too,find the bottle intriguing, and love tmp00’s comparison. I thought the clear bit was a hole, too, but it’s a good idea, so you can see how much you have left. I hate that I have to slosh my bottle of Avignon around to get an idea of what’s still in there.
I go sniffing with Louise all the time, and it’s always informative. A few scents smell the same on us. In general, though, our skin tends to magnify different aspects of a given scent — she’ll get more incense and I’ll get more florals, for instance — and we usually agree that it smells better on one of us than the other. In this case, I guess it’s me! 🙂
and darling, please remove this double post, thanks!
Done. Just curious about the double post … is it loading slow for you? I’ve been having that problem responding to comments for the last week or so.
yup-verrry slow loading…and my impatience…
Count me in on the slow-loading experience. It had seemed to improve, but is certainly back to molasses tricks on my machine.
I’ll ask Patty about that… I thought it was just my computer. I really need to upgrade the ol’ laptop.
paint drying slow.
I gave this a try yesterday, and I must say…um, that bottle shore is purty. I wasn’t allowed to touch it, so didn’t attempt to stick a finger through the hole, unlike some people I know 🙂
Now, I’ll admit I sprayed along with two other newbies (including Scent-which was OK, with a nice drydown), but for the life of me, I just didn’t get what you got. Not a bit. The top was a screechy floral vanillic with something sort of spicy tossed in. Meh. The mid was dull vanilla with a touch of fruit-nothing distinct. Double meh. The drydown was harsh plastic (the amber?) and itchy musk. The longevity was unfortunately fairly good, though I covered it in oud after a few hours to cleanse myself. In other words, Natori was gawd-lawful. On me, I’ll say, to be polite.
I love her lingerie designs, they’re designed for petite women and they work for me. Very well made and comfy. The scent…well, the closest I can come is ill-fitting, scratchy panties that have visible lines…;(
Oh, but, thanks for the review, lovey!
My dear son, who is a budding perfumisto, took a sniff, and shrieked “jasmine?” “I hate jasmine”, “ugh, what’s the plastic sh– in there” and “it smells department store”. This while wafting Silver Factory incense through the empty Saks cosmetics section. My bad, I’ve scented him too well of late.
Oh dear… while I certainly hope to have March’s or Angela’s experience with Natori, I’m afraid it will probably be closer to Louise’s. My skin seems to amp some synthetic notes into the “screeching” zone, and unfortunately, they last forever on me as well!
Could I borrow your son the next time I’m assaulted by a pack of hungry, fragrance-spritzing s.a.’s at Saks or NM? They’d be no match for him.
anytime, doll, anytime…;)
Aigh, the plastic thing!! That doesn’t happen to me too often, but when it does, I really, really hate it. I agree re: the amber. To my nose, the plastic is closely related to the Play-Doh, which I can also get from ambery scents. So sorry it was such a mess on you!
And of course it would last forever. sigh. scrubbers always do!
Thanks for the report, doll!
Uh-oh. Gosh, I hope you’re right so I won’t have to get up off the couch.
I was intrigued by this after reading Angela’s review on NST, and yours has fanned the flames a bit. I love that bottle. As usual, living in the Walmart wasteland, it’ll take a while before I get to try it, but I’m with you on hating to pay retail. I’m interested in the talk of Poison, which was a grape koolade scrubber on me but hey, I’m up for it. 🙂
A grape coolaid scrubber?!? ::covers ears:: bless your heart, and Poison isn’t easy to get rid of, either!
I hope you get to try it at some point.
Hmmm, now that you mention the aldehydes were barely there for you, my interest in this is perking up again, though I’m not very in need of a “lingerie scent.” Really, I’m not. It does sound good though, and I always enjoy some plummy goodness. I’ll be snagging a sample from a friend soon enough.
Until I read the NST review, I was also assuming that — thingy — was a sort of donut hole that went clear through. I don’t like it as much knowing it’s a little porthole, but the whole works is still equal parts cute and elegant. Very Japanese-looking to me (maybe because they do cute/elegant better than anyone).
Joe, hi. I find aldehydes … tricky, and let’s leave it at that. There are some h-core aldehyde fans on here. I tend to admire rather than like very strong aldehyde scents (particularly green ones.) So I think you’re safe here.
I also want you to try Natori because (and I should have stuck this in the review) I’m curious if you think a man could get away with this. In general I feel like a man could wear anything, but this, for some reason… not so much. And I can’t decide why. Maybe I’m an idiot. I like really femme scents on men.
The Cheese must really love being your guinea pig, in that case. No details, please.
Hey, I get away with that NOT FOR MEN! Rykiel thing, but seriously, I have no sense of what’s too “femmy” anymore. Speaking of which, I just this minute spritzed on some En Passant for the very first time, and this is pushing it for me.
Ha. You have no idea. The Cheese eschews any man-scent other than the one (okay, three) bottles of stuff I’ve given him over the last few years, which he wears grudgingly if we’re going out and I promise … well, whatever. So I’m certainly not test-driving Natori or anything else on him.
En Passant? Interesting. I’d have thought it would be virtual-reality enough to work, but maybe it’s like wearing your Auntie’s lilac water?
Echoing the general sentiment: I’d like to go smell this, if it’s in Canada by the time I get there (not holding high hopes though), because I really doubt it’ll make it to the land of fancy lingerie, aka Gay Paree.
And I’m not running away screaming from mentions of Poison. In fact, I am on the verge of launching a Poison revival. It’s my next duty-free purchase. Yes, in August.
A Poison Revival!!! Where do I sign up?!?! I am a lover of Poison. In fact (leans in close and whispers) I have a *backup* bottle of Poison. Like the first 3.3 or whatever it is won’t last me 300 years…. I think the older stuff smells better than the new. Oh, and I have the Poison extrait (?) although that’s not what it was called. Yummy.
Well, it’s not like there’s a great shortage of fragrance in Paris. 😉
I’m in!
Plum. Yum. “Pretty without being girlie”? I am there. Well, I was there last week, but they claimed not to have it yet (noses growing all the while). I’ll have to find a good excuse to go back. It was a little too The Shining West for me–nobody around, just echoes.
So … your Saks looks the same as ours does?
And I will say I think our Saks gets things earlier than some. Don’t know why.
I hope you like it!
The Saks I was in was devoid of non-employee human life. I was there at 5 p.m. on a Wednesday, so it’s not like I picked a prime time, but it was just a trifle spooky. I did think of the halls of the hotel in The Shining, but we’ve been harder hit by the recession than most. I still want to sniff, however.
I told Louise: the day I was there (at lunchtime-ish, no less) our Saks layout is X-shaped, so you can see down all four halls from the fragrance counter, which is right in the middle. As far as I could see, there was *literally* not another customer on the floor besides me.
Completely devoid of customers. The real embarassment is that they all know me…and didn’t bother to try and sell anything.
Well I haven’t smelled the juice (yet) but I get the idea of lingerie (I assume) that there’s the lingerie that ladies wear for their partners, meant to be taken off before marks are left or blood stops circulating, then there’s the stuff that you wear for your own pleasure, and comfort.
I love the bottle- it’s like a combo of the Venus of Villendorf and a negative of the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man.
Gotta go to Saks and smell this..
Ha ha ha…love your bottle description! I wasn’t nearly as thoughtful…just a blobbed ink bottle that apparently someone left the pen in the middle of prior to melting….
I love your insight on lingerie, AND your description of the bottle! I’d cross the Venus with the Michelin Man myself…
I hope you get what I got from Natori and not Louise (below.) Would love to hear your opinion on whether it could plausibly be worn by a man. I say “yes” to almost anything, but this I’m not entirely sure, and I don’t know why.
I’ve heard that about you, March.
And … now you got even with me. Bah-da-BOOM. She’s here all week, folks!
I have nothing to say that’s lewd, rude or dangerous to know about that bottle. So pleased you found something you love.
Yeah, me neither. Not touching that baby with a ten-foot pole.
So glad you two are showing such restraint…
My middle name.
Honey … are you ill? 😉
I see our little friends have come to smut in your stead.
Smooches. Glad I found something to love too.
Don’t bother him, he’s pickling…
Don’t bother him, he’s pickling his fruits…
WTF?
March, please pick the most annoying one and then remove the one that isn’t as, okay?
No, sorry — I think it’s funny!
You remind me of my sister. Both of them.
Louise is your favorite!
Not so. I just know her Ondees more intimately.
seems like a very wearable scent! Too bad I am far, far away from Saks. I await the day that samples can be obtained with a click of a button 🙂
I’d like to be able to lean forward and smell things from my computer … of course my computer DOES smell of scent, because I try on things while I’m sitting here! 🙂
Calling Al Gore…
I am so glad to hear the positive reviews coming in for this one. As I said in response to Angela’s NST review, I read a snippet on Natori, the woman, in W, and she sounded like a genuine perfumista. This is her third stab at creating a scent, and I hope it succeeds… Can’t wait to smell it!
I’m betting on it (of course wider distribution would be nice.) It seems very commercially viable to me, and the bottle’s so pretty I’d think it would be a popular gift.
Have a long time addiction to Natori, so was predisposed to like this scent. Also have a long time addiction to scents w/ a plum note. After your review, am completely convinced that I will love it. Am definitely disappointed to hear that it’s not a hole in the bottle, but can’t kvetch too much – such a great overall shape and color! Want!
I’ll be very surprised if you don’t like this one. I think this falls into the camp of uncomplicated scents we both love. And I’m with you on the plum!
PS Natori addiction looks as expensive as fragrance addiction.
Well, this one sounds appealing enough to get off of my tuchus and go have a sniff at Saks.
For the record, I generally select my underthings for the neighbors’ pleasure.
We really don’t need to hear any more about your Ondees, okay? 😉
Hey, at least she’s not talking about pee!
JM&J — I log on here at 8:03 and there are 23 comments !?!? and you all are already smutting around! Hm. Must keep reading.
Y’all know you love it.
Dude, I want to get in all her drawers. She’s got, like, 18 bottles of Backup Bandit.
srsly … how dirty does Backup Bandit sound?
Oh, lord. Maybe I should go back to bed right now. I feel a smutstorm coming on.
How dirty? The more I think about it, the more, um, layered it gets…
Right next to my Ondees.
Which are blindingly clean, thank you. You never know when you’re going to get hit by an ambulance. Or something.
Well, THAT sounds very New York!
We’re a very close-knit community up here.