A very fresh breeze

"Waikiki Pikake" was a pleasant surprise for me, simply because it's not the type of blend that I usually go for. First of all, it is relentlessly fresh and dry - not fresh, like soap or cleaning products, but fresh like a breeze, like a brisk wind, even, in that it perfectly conjure's-up the feeling of being outdoors. It opens on a smooth, soft wood mixed with flowers, the wood barely registering as woodsy; this wood feels fuzzy and dry, almost smoky, like cedar under sunlight (must be meant to evoke the mythological, Hawaiian Sandalwood trees).

Secondly, I usually can't wear jasmine or its cousin, pikake; both often turn overly sweet and ripe on my skin. But this pikake was different; it is fresh and almost buttery, with the slightest hint of lily-like sweetness. There's a lush, yet crunchy hint of greens. The breezy freshness continues, but now, there's the warmth of sunlight. These are fresh pikake flowers simmering in the sunshine - perhaps, warmed against the oils in your hair - and you're standing in a lush, slightly humid but breezy place, hearing the chitter-chatter of bugs buzzing and birds squawking - the place teeming with life, while looking up at sweeping mountains and valleys of green.