MIEUX LUXGEOUS Washing Detergent 1680yen
I've been a heavy user of Downy for more than 10 years. I can't stand it when my clothes or bedding don't smell amazing, and I thought that was because I was kind of a scent-fetish. Apparently not. In Japan, fragrant washing detergent and fabric softener have been popular for years. This summer, the government sounded a warning not to use too much of those fragrant washing liquid because there were people who got sick because of the strongly scented clothes in the trains. I know that sounds ridiculous but it's pretty easy to imagine getting sick when you are standing really close to other people in the packed train in Tokyo, and those people are wearing overpoweringly scented clothes.
Because it's becoming like a trend here, there are many nice fragrant washing detergents recently. But my favourite is this one; MIEUX LUXGEOUS Washing Detergent. It doesn't smell overpowering at all but the scent lingers for days. Since it's very pricey for a washing detergent, I only use it to wash my clothes that I wear to work. When I wash my clothes with this, I instantly smell amazing. I don't even need to wear perfume because my clothes smell amazing. I cannot justify myself to spend 1680yen on washing liquid, but I will be very sad when I've used it up for sure. If you ever have a chance to get your hands on this one, you should try it. It smells divine.
Now, this is more affordable choice. This one is a fabric softener that you use along with normal washing detergent. It smells like clean fabrics, a little bit like Downy. It lingers even longer than the first one I talked about, so I love using it when I wash my bedding. It makes me feel so happy when my bedding smell clean and fresh, it creates this warming atmosphere.
But the only downside of this is that it doesn't make fabrics soft. My towels feel harder, and my fluffy pillow case isn't fluffy anymore after being washed with this softener. I only use this to apply this amazing scent to my clothes and bedding, not to soften them obviously. If you are looking for fabric softener which makes your fabric soft, which it's supposed to do, then this might not be for you. But believe me, it smells so good!
Samourai Woman Fabric Softener
If you haven't smelt Samourai Woman, you probably should. I used to wear Samourai Woman perfume which had sparkling glitters in it when I was like 15. I stopped wearing it when I run out of it, and I totally forgot about it. Until I got their shampoo and conditioner to review. My husband loved the scent unexpectedly, and he brought the shampoo and conditioner to England when he went back there to see his family as a souvenir, and his family fell in love with it. Now I know this scent never gets too old fashioned.
The top note is grapefruit, green tea and bergamot which is the blend of fresh notes. The middle note is jasmine, ylang ylang, peach and rose, then the base note is sandalwood and musk. It doesn't smell overpowering but definitely fresh and...young, if that makes sense. All of their products are amazing but this fabric softener is perfect for someone like me who wants to wear perfume from a different brand yet want fabrics and clothes to smell amazing. As the scent is subtle, it doesn't crush. Plus the packaging looks pretty which is a bonus.
Until recently I thought Japanese washing detergent is boring. I really liked the British ones that my sister-in-law was using, and Japanese ones are nothing compared to them. But now I think Japanese ones are catching up a little bit...I'm so glad to find nice ones here in Japan :)