KENZO L'Eau de KENZOAMOUR: A Review

Though I may find myself opting out of wearing a full face of makeup on most days, I am one of those girls who just can't leave the house without a few spritzes of perfume. I have found that KENZO makes some of my very favorite floral scents. For quite some time I have really enjoyed wearing FlowerbyKenzo (review here), especially in the warmer months.

For the past few weeks, I have been trying out L'Eau de KENZOAMOUR EDT, a "fresher" take on the brand's popular KENZOAMOUR fragrance (though I have not tried the original fragrance and therefore can't specifically compare the two). Housed in a beautifully girly graduated pink-toned bottle, the scent is rich in florals mixed with citrus, vanilla, and white musk accents. In my opinion, this fragrance pulls a little more fruity on me than FlowerbyKenzo does (which I definitely can't complain about). It smells so delicious and clean, and while the scent comes across as rather light, I find it to be very long-lasting, a quality that I always look for in a fragrance. No one wants to walk out the door in the morning smelling pretty only to have the scent wear off only a few hours later! I can honestly say that I have worn L'Eau de KENZOAMOUR for a period of 12 hours and could still detect it on my skin when I went to shower that evening. That, to me, is pretty amazing.

A few pictures of the stunning bottle. How pretty!

The fragrance notes

If florals are not your thing, I would still highly recommend giving this one a sniff, as it is more understated in its floral tones, especially in the drydown. While I would wear this perfume year-round (obviously I have been using it in the winter months), I think that it is a perfect spring/summer scent.

L'Eau de KENZOAMOUR is a limited edition fragrance and is currently available for purchase at the KENZO website as well as the Sephora site (I don't believe it is available in Sephora stores, however). The 2.5 oz bottle retails for $72.

Weigh in: Have you tried any fragrances by KENZO? What are your current favorite perfumes? What types of scents do you love?

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.

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.

SJP NYC - Flirty, Feminine, and Fabulous

A great fragrance can be a girl's best accessory, and I think I've found a favorite in Sarah Jessica Parker's latest perfume, SJP NYC. I love the way wearing it allows me to feel flirty, feminine, and confident. I totally have my Carrie Bradshaw moment as I walk down the streets of NYC (and really, who could ask for more?) The scent combines the best of both worlds - the floral and the fresh and fruity.

The scent itself was created to reflect the vibe of NYC, the fashion and the freedom, and was, in fact, inspired by the character Sarah Jessica made so famous in the Sex and the City series (side note: who else is looking forward to Sex and the City 2??) The packaging is cute and features a glass bottled nestled within a bright pink plastic cylinder covered in some fun graphics. The illustrations are colorful and the patterns are intended to mirror the interior of SJP's own closet. I definitely dig the colors and the theme of the designs, but I would have preferred a slightly more polished presentation. I am not the biggest fan of the plastic casing and the designs are displayed on paper wrapped around the bottle. I am afraid if I traveled with this bottle the paper might start peeling off. Regardless, though, I would not be deterred from purchasing this perfume. The scent is just divine (literally, upon receipt, I sat in my room with the most stupid grin on my face, inhaling the sweet goodness!) In SJP's own words, she says that she "wanted to create a fragrance with a great sense of fun and whimsy." For her, the perfume was to reflect her love of "mixing things up and breaking rules" a philosophy to which she subscribes in her fashion style.

Available in department stores around the country, the SJP NYC Eau de Toilette comes in three sizes - 60 ml ($49), 30 ml ($35), and 15 ml ($25). There is a body lotion ($25) as well.

For those perfume enthusiasts, here's a rundown of the fragrance notes:

Top: Italian Mandarin, White Osmanthus, Wild Red Strawberries

Heart: Gardenia, Honeysuckle, Mimosa, Red Rose Damascenia

Base: Sandalwood, Vanilla Absolute, Rum Flavor, Creamy Musks

SJP NYC makes me feel like strapping on those Manolos (that I don't have!) and strutting down Fifth Avenue! If a fragrance can make you feel that way, I suppose it's not a bad thing, right? ;-)

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.

Fragrance Find....At Costco!

I was browsing Costco, as I do quite frequently, checking out the beauty and toiletry aisles. In the past I have found some great things - L'Occitane hand cream, MAC eyeshadows, and some Stila items, for example. Generally, I can comb the aisles for goodies very quickly. On this occasion, however, I was stopped in my tracks by the fragrance display. Boasting some beautiful scents from sought after brands like Chanel, Dior, and Marc Jacobs, I just had to take a second look. I the mix of perfumes, I found one of my favorites, Chanel Chance, and another scent I have been lusting after for quite some time, Marc Jacobs Daisy. Generally when Costco has fragrance displays, nothing piques my interest. This was definitely a welcome surprise!

I had toyed with the idea of picking up Daisy last weekend while checking out the Marc Jacobs boutique in Boston. Boy am I glad I didn't, though! I found a 3.4 oz. bottle of the popular fragrance for $45.99 (generally the bottles of this size go for about $72)! I have been drawn to this floral scent, always sniffing it when passing by the perfume section at Sephora. It's aroma invokes feelings of fun, youthfulness, and an overall flirtatious and sexy attitude. I just love it!

I just wanted to let you all know about my "fragrance find" and to urge you to check out the perfumes at your local Costco. You just might find the one you've been eyeing!