Ça Sent Beau

Ca Sent Beau was a replacement for the discontinued Kenzo by Kenzo, and because I didn’t want Kenzo replaced, I avoided it till now. But finally the level in my last bottle of Kenzo grew low, Ca Sent Beau itself became hard to find, and I panicked and got a bottle. So how does it compare? Well, to a nose accustomed to the first Kenzo, Ca Sent Beau smells a bit like the air-freshener version. Like a rough sketch, recognizable but simplistic, as though a gifted cartoonist dashed off a caricature of a famous painting. That said, the ‘caricature’ itself is pretty amazing, and there are plenty of reasons to be delighted it’s still around. For one, if you’ve heard much about the first Kenzo and want to know how it smells, you needn’t pay an extortionist price for a vintage bottle. Get Ca Sent Beau, and you’ll get a perfectly accurate idea, even if it will be deprived of the full depth and nuance. Likewise, if you loved the first perfume, you’ll certainly notice the differences, but considering that there’s nothing else that smells remotely alike, such a close relative is a treasure. And if you’re a casual buyer? Well, if the notes sound good to you, and if you’d like a highly original, impeccably crafted, easy to wear perfume for casual occasions, give it a try without worries that it might be dated. Unless you’re thoroughly committed to the esthetics of Iso E transparency, Ca Sent Beau is unlikely to strike you as ‘old.’ It’s more full-bodied than diaphanous, but it’s not dense, opaque, powdery, perfumey, aldehydic, flamboyantly baroque, or any of the other features usually thought of as old. In fact, despite its wonderfully unique refusal to conform to a category—one wants to call it a green-fruity-oriental-chypre and more—a quick and dirty classification would probably land it close to a modern fruitchouli. Take something like the current Miss Dior, make a couple of mental upgrades, and you’ll come close. Instead of Miss Dior’s fermented citruses, the fruity top note in Ca Sent Beau is sweet, succulent, and delicious. At times, it comes across as neither mandarin nor bergamot but a juicy, fresh pineapple. In the middle, where Miss Dior goes almost tooth-paste mentholated, Ca Sent Beau has much more going on. Its patchouli is camphoraceous and seasoned with a savory coriander-cumin note; it's possibly the fragrance's most distinctive pleasure. The fruity note morphs, just as it says on the tin, into peach laced with ylang; and non-screechy white flowers appear, most notably, a tuberose, so lovely it will haunt you even if you’ve known more famous tuberose scents. The drydown is where Ca Sent Beau suffers the most from the comparison with the first Kenzo. Rich in sandalwood and oakmoss, the first perfume possessed a whole additional emotional register, suited even to the dressiest occasions. But by today’s standards, when so many drydowns go for naked musk/naked vanilla/simple cessation, Ca Sent Beau does more than enough to keep one's interest and, once again, leaves the likes of Miss Dior in the dust. On the whole, it’s a youthful but not juvenile scent, playful and intelligent, well-mannered yet distinctive, and after searching for something similar for ages, I can confidently say it doesn’t exist. (Eden, which I had long ago, bears no real resemblance.)

(Review of a 1991 EdT) That smells beautiful. Yes, yes it does. The funny and forward title is accurate. Though I suspect this vintage formulation is not likely to smell beautiful to modern noses. It is definitely old school in the thick-at-the-hips floral and animalic musk way. “There is no excellent beauty that hath not some strangeness in the proportion,” so says Francis Bacon, and he is correct. The Golden Ratio that governs all visual beauty needs some type of oddness, something off, in order to be truly striking to someone’s memory. For the classic, beautiful model example, think of Cindy Crawford and her mole - aka beauty mark - on her upper lip; it draws your attention while not detracting from the superb beauty of her face. This is Ca Sent Beau, and it’s the animalics that are the mole - which is not unusual for this genre of perfume, though Ca Sent Beau is a bit late to the en chic party. A floral forward perfume with a base heavy in animalic musks is, again, nothing new. And, I must say, at least in this EdT formulation from long ago the materials other than the musks haven’t aged well in terms of their performance. The sparkling bergamot and orange opening is stunningly beautiful but quite short. The floral heart is such an amalgam and abstract presentation of white florals that it is useless and worthless to try to identify them all in any sort of individual sense, but it is mostly rose forward. There is enough of the unctuous and watery quality of muguet to be detectable as well as the spicy/pepperiness and woodiness of carnation, but, otherwise, what arrives very nearly immediately are salty, swampy, green vetiver accenting some very thick, gray, animalic musks to give an ambergris impression. When I wear Ca Sent Beau, from every minute to the next as I smell it on my skin, I’m in love. There is a levity and happiness to the perfume at every stage - even in the thick, heavy, animalic dry down - that puts a smile on my face no matter what, where, or when. The joy of Ca Sent Beau is infectious, and consider me infected.

Kenzo Ca Sent Beau: Two Little Word's: Absolutely Stunning!! I Honestly Can't Get Over How Beautiful This Perfume Really Is!! I Litterly Blind Bought This Fragrance Because I Red That It Has Patchouli In It's Formulation & I Absolutely Love Love LOVE A Perfume That Has A Patchouli Note In It,& The Patchouli In This Kenzo Is S0ooooo Well Constructed To Give This Fragrance A Real Good Twist On It's Heavenly Floral Notes!! It's Fresh & A Little Green,& Absolutely Totally Up-Lifting, Bringing A Long Lasting Smile To My Face!! Surrounding It's Wearer In Pure Class!! This Perfume Would Be The Perfect Choice For A Bride To Wear On Her Wedding Day, Or To Wear While Attending A Wedding It's That Gorgeous!! I Put This Perfume On Me This Morning Stright After I Showered & All Day I've Been Getting The Most Exquisite Aroma I've Ever Smelt!! & At 11.10pm It's Still Going Strong, Which Is Absolutely Outstanding For An Edt With Not One Single Touch Up!! Kenzo Really Do Make Fantastic Quality Fragrances Without A Doubt, & The Design Of The Bottle Is Just Breath Takingly Beautiful!! My Husband Was The First Person To Pass Remarks On It Before He Left For Work, & When He Arrived Home It Was Still Smelling Absolutely Stunning Making Him Give Me A Second Hug Just To Smell It Again!! Kenzo Ca Sent Beau Has Kept Me Company All Day Long As I Worked Around The House, & Believe Me When I Honestly Say It's Deffo Way To Good Just For That!! This Deffo Is Sure Firmly On It's Way To Being One Of My All Time Favourite Perfumes!! & I Will Deffo Wear This Fragrance For The Next Few Day's & See How We Get Along, & What Other's Think Of It On Me!! But Already It's Looking Very Promising Indeed!! Will Up-Date This Review In The Very Near Future!!

There are situations, you want to smell bombastic good, fresh, but somehow serious and chic and not sexy a lot. For example going for an interview for a job or just do it your work properly and fast. Here is the perfect fragrance for it and I am so glad about it. I tested it about month and today stocked up with 2 bottles more, because it is just so delicious serious. It does not make sense to describe the smell, because I have no idea, what it is, but if you have good eyes and can read the lousy small ingredients list, you may see: Oakmoss extract and tree moss extract. I think, this is one of the small amount of fragrances dealing with naturally raw stuff. Even if applied this loud and intensive perfume with heavy hand over and over you, I do not get headache, which is very practical, if you have to work hard. Sillage about one-two hours, longevity 7-8 hours (EdT!!) When the perfume is dying, it smells a bit like Dune from Dior.

For those who love tuberose- green, juicy and in full bloom, this one is a treat. I could swear there’s a touch of mimosa in there as well, giving a soft, yellow, solar, sweet powdery nuance to the composition. What makes it really special to me though, is the vanilla accord. It reminds me of freshly baked butter cookies made with a milky shortcrust dough. So nostalgic. That cozy, slightly gourmand touch is what sets it apart for me. I’ve owned this fragrance three times over the past three decades and I still adore it and wear it regularly. There’s an airy quality and a sunlit greenness to it that reminds me of the jungle (and I’ve actually been to one), something I never find in the modern takes on tuberose.