Tag: cherry blossom

Review – L’Occitane Cherry Blossom

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I may have not posted about it of late, but my quest for a true, easily accessible sakura fragrance is ongoing. L’Occitane is a French brand that is available world-wide, and Fleurs de Cerisier is part of their permanent collection, so you can’t get much more accessible than that. I grabbed an Eau De Toilette rollerball and matching hand cream, since I alternate between living with electric heat all winter and living in the desert. I can never have too many hand creams!

Please note: L’Occitane recently redid their visual identity and packaging and I purchased these right before that happened, but the product remains the same.

Unfortunately (and this is entirely my fault for not reading details ahead of time), this is definitely not a singular cherry blossom scent. It’s described as having opening notes of cherry, lemon, and freesia. The heart is cherry blossom, yes, but also heavy on the lily of the valley. It definitely has more of the clean, fresh smell I am looking for, unlike the powder-heavy Rituals set from a while back, but it’s still got too much going on to fit the brief. I do enjoy the notes and progression of this one and it will definitely get used. No worries there! The hand cream is also nice and moisturising but absorbs quickly. This is important to me, as someone who spends a lot of time using a mouse and also can’t risk getting products like this on kimono when  am working with them.

So while I have a lovely new fragrance to add to the rotation, my search for the “perfect” sakura continues! Do you have any suggestions? If so, please leave me a comment!

 I purchased this item myself and chose to review it. 

S is for Sakura

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Sakura, 桜, Japanese cherry blossom

Few things are as aesthetically emblematic of Japan as the sakura blossom. It’s an easy visual shorthand in movies and anime for spring, new love, and youthful exuberance. All for good reason. They bloom in profusion across the entire country, a season as looked forward to as the holiday season here in North America. The blooming of the sakura trees is celebrated on coins, with parties, by time-limited merchandise, clothing, picnics, drinks at Starbucks, you name it.

They are a perfect example of mono no aware, or the acceptance of the transience of life. They burst open in a cloud of soft colour and last mere days.

When it comes to kimono, sakura can be depicted many ways. However, there are some constants that make it easy to identify. Sakura will always have five petals in the central or main layer, and each petal is slightly elongated with a tell-tale notch in the tip.

Traditionally, sakura is a spring motif, worn right before the real ones bloom. However, it’s become such a ubiquitous design that it shows up in all seasons nowadays. Unless you’re going to a very strict event, I believe you can wear it any time.

Here are some examples taken from my collection, so you can see the variations and similarities.

All the photos in this entry come directly from my collection. You are welcome to use them for personal projects and reference, but not for anything commercial. If you’re uncertain, feel free to contact me.

Art Gallery – Sakura Valentine

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Sakura Valentine

Happy Valentine’s Day! I had grand plans to do a really sweet, romantic coordination on the mannequin but that went awry as plans are wont to do. I still wanted to share something though, since I love you all so much for continuing to support me. I’ve been working on this illustration for a while now. Initially I was going to share it during cherry blossom season, but the pink floral theme seemed perfect for a Valentine. It’s not much, but it sure is pretty, and I hope you like it!

I’ve also set up a shop on Society6 with some prints of the occasional artwork I do and share here, including this one. I get a few dollars from each one sold, all of which will go back into the fund to help support the blog.