Saturday, July 24, 2010

One Singular Scent-sation: Presenting FlowerByKenzo


I love perfume. I love discovering new perfumes. Furthermore, I find it especially exciting when said fragrance(s) come(s) from a brand with which I have little familiarity. I mean how fun is it to get to explore a new line and then on top of that come out with a new favorite?!? My olfactory bulbs have been experiencing sensory overload....in a VERY good way ;-).


Not too long ago I reached out to my amazing friend Joey (of Too Many Eyeshadows) to help me learn more about KENZO and the products they have to offer. Now, I know she has tried many a KENZO goody without complaint (on the contrary, she has given them rave reviews!), so I put all my confidence in my favorite Bunny. After all, we do have a lot of similar tastes, especially in the fragrance realm, so I wasn't too concerned. Boy, did she ever pull through!! Introducing (OK, so it's not technically NEW...but it's new to ME).....FlowerByKenzo.


I generally find myself gravitating toward scents that mix florals with more fruity tones, but FlowerByKenzo is a straight up floral amalgamation...and I love it. It is powerful, yet light, and highly concentrated (you don't need to spray on very much to get the full effect of the fragrance...though I generally do, because well, I like it that way ;-)). I also find that the scent stays on the skin throughout the day quite nicely. It doesn't tend to fade away too quickly.


Since it is generally difficult to describe the tones of fragrances in a way that is easily understood, I thought I would give you the "accords" of the perfume as KENZO lists them. I admit, I am not familiar with all of the ingredients!


Floral Accord: Bulgarian Rose, Wild Hawthorne, Parma Violet, Cassia

Powdery Accord: Vanilla, White Musk, Oppoponax

Dynamic Accord: Hedione, Cyclosal


The scent to me is just pretty, fresh, and clean. It just screams summer to me, and I am finding myself wearing this almost every day. It makes me feel happy and feminine...and beautiful. I also love the way the thin glass bottle (curved to demonstrate the way a real flower bends) showcases the red poppy, the flower which really springs FlowerByKenzo to life. All in all, this fragrance speaks of sophistication.


A little background on Kenzo:

The House of KENZO was founded in 1970 in Paris by Takada Kenzo, a Japanese fashion designer, who, in 1987 introduced the fragrance line. The first women's fragrance came along the following year. In 1999, Mr. Kenzo left the company, appointing Odile Lobadowsky as president/CEO and Patrick Guedj as creative director. 2000 marked the introduction of the FlowerByKenzo scent, and in 2001 KenzoKi was born (a skincare off-shoot of the Kenzo brand). All of Kenzo's fragrances stay true to the underlying philosophy of the company - "attachment to nature, poetry, mixing of East and West, and a playful marriage of contrasts."


The FlowerByKenzo Eau de Parfum is available in three sizes (30 mL for $56, 50 mL for $72, and 100 mL for $92) and can be found at Sephora locations, www.sephora.com, and www.kenzousa.com. There are also other products in the range including a cream as well as La Cologne.


Have you tried this scent or any others from the KENZO range? If so, what do you think? What are some of your favorites? I definitely will be trying more!


NB: This product was sent to me by a PR representative for my consideration. Though I did not purchase it myself, my review was in no way influenced by my receipt of a sample. I am dedicated to providing reviews that are 100% my own opinions, bias-free. If I ever feel that I cannot give my readers honest feedback on a product, I will not present a review for it. I am here to inform, and publishing untruthful thoughts is neither beneficial to those who visit my blog nor to me.