2y ago
One Day is a Hong Kong-based niche perfumer whose fragrances I would describe as “artistic with a sense of humour.” The minimal white-labelled bottles and high price point suggest a much less playful approach, so I was pleasantly surprised when I had the chance to sample a few in Hong Kong. Their Tea Exclusive collection (Oolong, Osmanthus, Jasmine and Puerh) are all photorealistic recreations of the scent of tea (at least to my nose), but become more abstracted in the drydown. The Ethos of Cities collection is, in a word, bonkers. Generally, they start off with notes you wouldn't expect in a perfume but reveal very well-structured fragrances underneath. Taipei (which I ended up buying) starts off with a blast of sticky rice and taro before mellowing out into a fresh, slightly floral, slightly gourmand, very wearable fragrance. Thai Soda is exactly what it sounds like and sadly did not last very long for me. Of the others, Seoul (coffee/hot chocolate) and Osmanthus Tea stood out. So far, I haven't found their fragrances to be incredibly performant but they make up for that in delighfulness. Longevity, projection and sillage are moderate (with the exception of Taipei, which does broadcast itself for at least the first hour). The fragrances are generally oriented to top and mid-notes, so there's less of that overnight, skin-scent drydown.
