Geisha Blanche Eau de Parfum

You should check out Geisha Blanche Eau de Parfum by Aroma M ($80) if you love powdery florals and you want a signature scent - one you won't find all your friends wearing. For some reason - probably because it's not a heavily advertised perfume - this charmer isn't well known.

According to Lucky Scent, it's one of Aroma M's best selling scents. I'm a member of its fan club. This fresh, sensuous fragrance is a blend of lychee, jasmine, hyacinth, and ylang ylang. It has a classic and very feminine appeal.

Geisha Blanche, which I first bought as a perfume oil in a rollerball ($40), was launched in an eau de parfum form in 2008. It’s the same fresh blend of white flowers and lychee, but with more sillage¹ and a smoother, airier feel. The lilting hyacinth and jasmine are slightly more prominent in this rendition, and the hint of citrus is less sharp.

Lucky Scent's favorite element, the soft, subtle sweetness of lychee, is just as beautiful as ever in the new version and gives it a definite warmth and sophistication that sets it apart from other “fresh-scrubbed” fragrances. Lucky Scent describes Geisha Blanche as one of the first just-out-of-the-shower type fragrances they carried and one of the best of the field - understated, but definitely not invisible, with a breezy elegance. Their description makes is sound lighter than I find it (but then I favor light fragrances). I am wearing it on my wrist as I write, and I am smelling a soft, powdery, warm, floral scent that compels my nose to visit my wrist and inhale frequently. Love it!

The Geisha Blanche Eau de Parfum comes with its own hand-sewn couture drawstring pouch, made with a richly textured solid white kimono-cloth crepe known as Chirimen. The colorful silk trim is made of precious strips of vintage kimono fabric. When not in use as a perfume cloak, this pouch can hold many other of life's small necessities and luxuries should you care to re-use it. The Roll-on also comes in fancy packaging. I know presentation is important to many, but I would rather see the price knocked down a few dollars and skip the "recyclables." I suspect Aroma M's creator would consider that heresy.

In case you aren't familiar with Aroma M, the brand was launched in 1995 by Maria McElroy, an American-born painter. To immerse herself in the world of fragrance, Maria first studied aromatherapy and then spent seven years in Japan. These experiences, not to mention a personal love story with a Japanese man who became Maria's husband, inspired the blossoming of Aroma M. Her company is based in New York.

You can find Geisha Blanche at Lucky Scent, where you can purchase the Eau de Parfum and convenient Rollerball - or a small vial sample for $4 to see if you like it.

¹Sillage is a French term for a boat's wake. When used by perfume enthusiasts, it describes how close a fragrance stays to the skin. Does it stick to the body or diffuse? Does it leave behind a wafting trail as the wearer departs?

Photos courtesy of Lucky Scent