Yosh Han, Californian perfumer extraordinaire, says the name of this perfume, Ginger Ciao, is actually the name of the heroine of a novella she has written. Ginger Ciao, evocative of every overblown female lead somewhere between James Bond and Austin Powers, surely sounds like a femme fatale.
But what is her smell like?
Ginger Ciao was created by Yosh Han and includes notes of black coconut, night queen, tiger lily, neroli, ylang ylang, ginger and basil.
“Ginger Ciao is the bewitching heroine of a major modern novella; she’s charismatic, daring, and scintillating. Arabian sandalwood, ylang ylang, and black coconut offer the undeniable allure of faraway lands. While touches of Kenya lily, basil, and ginger hint that our charming heroine also has an audaciously intelligent alter ego. This fragrance has enough seductions to go around, but you’ll probably want to keep it all to yourself.”
– from the Yosh website
I wish I had had this sample in summer. (Many thanks to Undina for sending it!)
Made for warm summer nights, it exudes a tropical vibe that is at once relaxing and exciting. Lacking those balmy evenings, Ginger Ciao takes on the challenge of bewitching me despite chilly autumnal winds and the fragrant prospect of first snow in the air.
Opening with a lovely coconut note, that is far from sweet and cloying, Ginger Ciao then brings on the tropical flowers in abundance. Lily and ylang-ylang form a rich and dense heart, accented by the spicy heat of ginger and the cooling whiff of something green which has to be the basil. The drydown is dominated by a soft, smooth and sweet sandalwood with the coconutty lily hanging on for a long time. It is not a perfume of big surprises, it is clear and direct in what it is and I like that. (It actually reminds me of Undina in that respect.)
Ginger Ciao is unrelentingly, unapologetically feminine and drop-dead gorgeous.
Do you wish to have a few more days of sunshine before winter really grabs us? It’s either a plane ticket or Yosh Han’s sensual and seductive creation.
Your choice.
Olfactoria's Travels 
Ah black coconut, so the men gonna love it
Scientific studies show that the probability of male approval for this kind of perfume is exceptionally high. 😉
🙂
I actually had a sample in summer but for the life in me I can’t remember what it smells like, it is in the depths of my sample tin now so I will have to pull it out and re test it as the view above looks very appealing when it’s freezing cold here and if this is the next best thing to the plane ticket then you can bet your bottom dollar that it will be sampled again.:-)
Enjoy your very own trip to the Maldives courtesy of your Yosh sample! 😉
I tried this on a sniffing trip with Shelley Ferguson and I really really wanted to like it – hey, I put ginger in most of my meals at the moment – but there was a slightly oddball note that troubled me. Might have been the basil, now you mention it. I should dig out my sample and have another go!
For me it neither about the ginger or the basil, the florals dominate (in a very good way).
It’s cold out. I’m still cranky. I want nothing more than to be in that second photo getting that massage while wearing Ginger Ciao. I could use a tropical vibe. I wasn’t ready for the blast of freezing temperatures when I just took the dogs out.
I’d love to join you on the next massage table. We should order some Daiquiris while we are at it…
That’s a brilliant idea
It sounds perfect for the summer!
I do wish summer was still here but I love snow so I expect to enjoy some of the winter as well. And then, before we blink, summer will be here again. 🙂
Oh this is so true. Tempus fugit, profumo manet. 😉
lol
Hello, I’ve missed reading your blog!
Love Yosh, love Ginger Ciao 🙂 Though White Flowers is just my true love when it comes to her line.
Gorgeous review, as always 😉
xx
I’ve missed you! I hope all is well with you and your move went well.
Ginger Ciao is narcotically good. This is now my favorite lily scent, bar none, and is on my full-bottle wish list. I loved your review and absolutely agree that it has a directness and beauty that is perfectly suited to Undina, who was the evil genius who introduced me to it. (I say “evil” just because every few months she seems to be responsible for making me crave something with a burning intensity. Lately it is Serge Lutens Fille en Aiguilles … though I think we have *you* to blame for that one, too.) 😉
Undina also got me onto Ginger Ciao, and Yosh in general….
Undina, is there some sort of secret plot to rule the world with Yosh perfumes? 😉
😀
Evil genius and Undina – that goes together perfectly. 😉
(laughing) Thank you, dear Birgit. I’m glad that you liked this perfume and “evil genius” in me is rubbing her hands.
Haha, I bet she is! 😉
Thank you for sending it!
Suzanne, Birgit has started that by running a giveaway last year and sending me my first sample of Fille en Aiguilles that just four months later became a full bottle in my collection. The rest you know 🙂
So that one is my fault, I accept full responsibility. 🙂
I always wondered about her line and now I going to have to order the samples! Thank you for letting me know that there is something out there for next summer or for a cold and dreary winter night.
It’s really sunshine in a bottle. Very good to have around in case of winter emergencies. 😉
So lovely to read your summery review and look at that pic on the coldest day of winter so far. A good tropical floral is a real mood-lifter.
A means of escape is always good to have, even if only in the form of a perfume. 🙂
Winter arrived here at least three weeks ago as the snow came down, but as is typical for those of us west of the Canadian Rockies, a chinook blew through this week and melted it all and we’re back to plus 10C temperatures. And I’m especially fortunate that there’s oodles of blue sky and sun in the wintertime here. The utter lack of humidity that comes with no cloud cover makes this place ridiculously hard on the skin, but it’s so worth it for that bright winter sun.
Now, I typically can’t wear summer stuff in the wintertime because it depresses my mood instead of lifts it, but I’m willing to risk it to try this, Birgit. This sounds fabulous.
Your part of the world sounds so enticing. Clear skies, bright sunshine and icy air, that description almost makes me a fan of winter. 🙂
This sounds wonderful! I kind of love heady, tropical scents in the winter. They just seem like a little olfactory trip somewhere warm!
The cheapest way to experience a bit of summer! 🙂
What is black coconut?!
Quite like the sound of this, actually.
A very good question. In any case, there is no apparent difference to the note detectable to me. It’s a great scent with or without the ominous black coconut. 😉
I would like a perfume whose name actually WAS ‘Ominous Black Coconut’ !
🙂
Loved reading your review, Birgit. I like Yosh line very much but haven’t tried Ginger Ciao. But I will now as I could use some summer right now ! Curious how it is going to scent. My favorite of the Yosh line is Sottile but who knows this might change 😉
We Perfumistas are a rather fickle bunch! 😉
I will try more of the line soon, since Ginger Ciao turned out to be such a beauty.
I am afraid we are ; -) Yosh has a discovery set. You might like to try that as you like discovery sets. They are reasonably priced.
Good to know, thanks, Esperanza!
I N E E D this
I wish I still had some to send you, but I just had a few mls. 😦
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