Ayala Moriel is a niche perfumer who makes her fragrances using only natural ingredients, and they are cruelty free. Bon Zai is an uplifting lemon verbena fragrance, with a lovely note of Bulgarian Rose. As the fragrance dries down, a note of Shiso (Shiso is a pungent tasting herb that is a member of the mint family, and the leaf is usually eaten with raw fish - Sashimi - in Japan) and juniper unfurl, underscored with soft woods and citrus. I think this is a well composed and interesting citrus fragrance that is complimented by the woods, rose and an unusual shiso note. Quiet sillage, and the lasting power is poor on my skin, about 1 hour.
Notes from the Ayala's website: Juniper Berry, Lemon Verbena, Patchouli Pine , Rose Otto (Bulgaria), Sandalwood Shiso, Tangerine, Vetiver Virginia Cedarwood.
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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 light. 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. Unique. A must-try fragrance.
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Woody, dry and slightly green. A tad herbal even, but also citrusy. It’s very easy to wear and very light in presence. But it’s not my cup of tea. I prefer other woody scents much better.
Edited to change my mind about it: now that I have tried shiso leaf in a Japanese restaurant, I can appreciate Bon Zai a lot more! The shiso note in this one is really special! The dry down is not that great on me, but this must be because of my chemistry. If you like woody and green herbal powdery scents, the opening is desirably so!
I added two lippies for originality...
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