Since I was talking about chypres – Eau Capitale inspired me –  I realized I had a sample of one I have been meaning to try. It’s from the Japanese niche brand J-Scent and it is called ‘Shaft of Light.’  I thought it was a very interesting name, and this is the brand’s explanation:

This scent symbolizes the power of life that comes from a shaft of light from the heavens onto the trees.
The light showers down upon grapefruit and lemon trees, and creamy white flowers like magnolias and gardenias. This perfume’s warm tones of sandalwood, patchouli, and oakmoss remind us of nature’s power of life.

That’s kind of cool, and very different from the rest of J-Scent’s line, which are mostly inspired by things in Japanese culture. Simply put, this is a great well-blended floral. There isn’t a major player in the flowers, but I do get hints of jasmine, orange flower and magnolia. There’s something citrus in there – the notes say lemon – that rounds up the bouquet which gives the scent a ‘fresh’ feeling before going to the woodsy dry down that is also well-blended. It is a somewhat quiet scent, although only in the idea not in presence. I quite like it, and int he colder temperature gives a warm fuzzy feel. Plus, at $80, it’s about one hundred dollars less than Eau Capitale. (though for sure we are comparing apples and oranges between the two)