Another innovation. Simple in retrospect, but brilliant enough in the making to become a new product category.

That’s AMKIRI‘s Visual Fragrance™, a temporary tattoo you can paint or stencil on your skin that exudes fragrance gently for about 12 hours after you put it on. I suppose that’s the real differentiating part—otherwise I could theoretically just spray perfume on any ol’ transfer or stencil body art.

I was quite excited about this purchase and tried it out as soon as I got the package. It came in a minimalist box, made sleek by the spot-varnished silhouette of the wand. The wand itself was secured in a plastic holder, behind which were the stencils, 2 of each set of designs.

The wand was heavier than I expected (a bit of psychology there: weight hints at sturdiness and quality), longer than I expected, and had a smooth, velvety-rubbery texture that I really liked.

Now on to the fragrance. Right now they only have the Original Scent, which is meant to appeal universally with notes of spearmint, ginger, and juniper berry before drying down to musk and cedarwood to become more “dreamy and sensual.” I’m not a fan of mint so was a little apprehensive but took a dive and I’m glad I did. I couldn’t actually pick out each of the notes described, but the overall scent is clean and modern.

My initial impression of the fragrance was more like I would expect from a cosmetic product, such as a lotion or shimmer, than from a perfume. However, after about half an hour or so it started to warm up. I had put it on at night, and the next day it was more woody and slightly powdery (not so much in a vintage way as in a comforting way). The 12-hour estimate for longevity was pretty accurate.

As for the ink itself, you can tell it’s temporary, and it lasted roughly 2 full days. I took it off on the third day. It’s on par with the better types of temporary body art.

All in all, I’m glad to have this in my budding perfume collection.