What is Tokyo Milk?
Tokyo Milk - such a quaint name. It's just the kind of name that would appeal to me, and it certainly didn't disappoint. When I first came across the line, I was intrigued by the Victorian aesthetic that inspired it. The day I discovered their online store was a glorious day for a beauty junkie like me. Beautifully designed, the Tokyo Milk online store features its beautiful and whimsical products, which are handcrafted by Margot Elena. The range includes perfume, lip products, body and bath products, candles and even stationery decorated with images of beautiful and timeless Victorian ephemera - perfect for the modern woman who is still a little in love with the Victorian aesthetic. The tasteful touches of whimsy and beauty present in Tokyo Milk products truly elevate them into what Margot Elena calls - "Objects to Desire".
How my love affair began
To quench some of my desire to own these lovely works of art, I did some research and ended up being drawn to this particular Tokyo Milk perfume called "Honey & The Moon No. 10". The combination of two ideas: honey, with its natural sweetness, and the moon, with its romantic appeal, seemed perfect for a whimsical and sweetly scented perfume.
A google search on the name landed me this lovely song, also called Honey and the Moon. I wonder if the perfume was inspired by the song or if it been a lovely coincidence. Associations aside, I knew I had to have Honey & The Moon No. 10. I don't usually use perfume, but I was drawn to this one like a moth to flame. Read on to find out how I managed to acquire this perfume!
The journey to acquiring it
Tokyo Milk's online store ships within the US, so I turned to Amazon and eBay, which weren't much help either - many sellers could not ship perfume by air, and others sold it at a higher price than 28 USD, the price on Tokyo Milk's online store. I heard from a friend that Tokyo Milk products were being sold in a shop in Raffles Place, and ended going on a wild goose chase to look for the shop, only to find out that it had since closed down.
By some stroke of luck and a little bit of help from the Internet, I found out that there was a small Tokyo Milk section at B1 of Takashimaya. It was exactly as I had imagined - rows and rows of beautifully crafted and packaged beauty products. I went straight for Honey & The Moon No. 10 and grabbed a mini soap (Audubon No. 18) for good measure.
Getting to know Honey & The Moon No. 10
Packaging and description
Honey & The Moon No. 10 is a 29.5ml (1 oz) Eau de Parfum that comes in a glass spray bottle with a metal cap. On the Tokyo Milk online store, it is described as
A decidedly different collection of brilliantly paired fragrance notes housed in an alluring glass bottle decorated with Summer's buzzing bee. Subtly sweet: Honey, Sugared Violet, Jasmine & Sandalwood
The bottle is decorated with the simple design of a bee, no doubt inspired by Victorian ephemera, and the perfume is a light yellow colour, all of which add to the summery appeal of this scent. One facet of the bottle is emblazoned with the Tokyo Milk "crest-of-arms".
Did I also mention how much I love the font of the packaging?
The bottle also comes with a lovely red velvet pouch, good for protecting the perfume from direct sunlight that would cause it to deteriorate. I always store the bottle in the pouch, in a drawer, and only take it out when I want to use it.
Scent
I've worn Honey & The Moon No. 10 at least thrice, and based on my experience, I both agree and disagree with online reviews that suggest it's the kind of perfume that some love and some find absolutely distasteful.
The scent opens up with a rich mixture of honey and sugared violet which hit the senses very strongly. Definitely gourmand because it smelt edible. Too much of this this can be a bad thing, as it ended up smelling rather cloying when I applied a tad too much on my pulse points once. The strong initial honey scent gave way to a more floral middle note, with a smooth transition from the more cloying sugared violet to the fresher jasmine. I preferred the midstage as the honey didn't assault the senses quite as strongly, yet it was still present, reminding me of cheerful comfort food/confectionary. The base note of sandalwood was warm and dusty, providing a deliciously comforting, slightly musky dry down. I thoroughly enjoyed the ageing of the scent and the honey scent was very convincing.
For those who prefer a more subtle scent, you should probably spray it into the air and step into the cloud of perfume rather than spray it directly onto your pulse points. I tried both methods and probably prefer the former, as I ended up feeling nauseated from smelling too much honey on my pulse points. Then again, it depends on your sensitivity level. I'm very sensitive to strong scents.
Altogether a lovely honey scent which I would recommend for those who love honey/gourmand scents. Not the most conventional summer scent and definitely not for those who prefer crisper, cleaner scents.
Ingredients
Pricing and where to buy
The Tokyo Milk online store, for 28 USD. Toyko Milk ships within the US and international customers have to contact them for shipping policies. I didn't do this. Seemed like a bit of a hassle!
As mentioned, you can get it from Amazon or eBay, but I don't recommend this. Fragrances may have import duties as they are classified as hazardous materials, and ground shipping is rather expensive.
There's a small Tokyo Milk section at B1 of Takashimaya, at the bath & body section that's near the stationery section. They carry a limited range of perfumes, soaps and lip balm. I bought Honey & The Moon No. 10 from there, for 42 SGD.
I recently found another place that sells Tokyo Milk products - MONO YONO, a gifts and novelties shop that has outlets at Vivocity (#01-92), Great World City (#01-K3) and Hitachi Tower (#01-07). They have an online store too, which provides free local delivery. Prices at both the brick-and-mortar outlet and the online store are the same. Honey & The Moon No. 10 retails for 42 SGD at MONO YONO.
If I've left out any locations or sources where Toyko Milk products can be bought, do share it in the comments! I've fallen in love with the entire range of Toyko Milk products and will definitely be trying out their soaps and lip balms in due time.
Has anyone else tried Tokyo Milk products? Your opinions?
EDIT: I noticed that someone came to my blog searching for whether Tokyo Milk perfumes are cruelty-free/do testing on animals. Let me assure you that they do not test on animals. They are also free of artificial colors, parabens, petrolatum, phthalate.
Disclaimer: I was not paid, sponsored nor influenced by external sources when reviewing this product. My opinions as expressed in the review are solely my own.
Disclaimer: I was not paid, sponsored nor influenced by external sources when reviewing this product. My opinions as expressed in the review are solely my own.
