Flower by Kenzo Oriental

For those of us who love a good rich, "stinky" oriental, this is a ghost of the classic stinkers. And I mean that in a good way. I think this is a wonderful "summer" oriental. I also think this would make a perfect introduction to orientals for the newcomer. This is beautiful. Soft. "Incensy". Ever so light musk. Has a hint of the ol' Opium/Obsession sort of scent but without the mega heavy duty bomb cloying impact. I find this disappears on me all too quickly. But that is cuz I'm older, and my sense of smell has deadened quite a lot. So, I'm sure others around me can smell this, but I would say that it does not project more than a couple feet at best. I kept an eye out on eBay for this. It was listed at a crazy price of $142.00 and I was planning on a blind buy~ SO I waited. I finally got a 1.7oz/50ml for $39.00 and now realize I'll want another to replace this. If you LOVE orientals... and want one you can wear during the summer evenings without suffocating, please consider this beautiful potion. Everyone has done a splendid job describing it, so I won't duplicate the positive reviews here...(Please note: I don't agree that it is synthetic smelling OR too sharp or harsh at the open.... it is heaven!!)... Lastly, I'd like to say that this very much reminds me of Le Baiser Du Dragon Cartier for women.

PavelHenry: they never correct anything[sigh]... but still are great! :) I think this one should be relaunched as a separate fragrance, not a limited edition. First, the bottle. For me, ass-kicking. Second, it might be a variation on regular flower (you CAN smell it), still it's too good to be just a flanker, it stands out comparing to others. You have the same powder as in Flower, but it gets gray instead of white, this is not a clean scent whatsoever. It can be even a bit stale in the beginning. Pepper does it probably, as you can smell it clearly. In the heart stage violet appears, and I think hibiscus or maybe black currant and they give it a nice, dark sharpness. I would actually call it floriental rather then woody. The incense here is lovely, relatively delicate, but rich and sultry. The base is very sensual and orijental:D and it has drawn me many compliments. Not an easy scent, though, I understand those who don't like it. But I still do.

My signature fragrance! Ever since I found it, I am always on the hunt for a fragrance that is both powdery and smoky (harder than you think.) The accords listed feel wrong here, this is first and foremost powdery, followed by smoky, warm spicy and vanilla. Lots of other reviewers capture this fragrance well. The powder is soft and not overwhelming, the incense just lends a smokiness without suffocating you, the violets aren't sweet, the drydown is a subtle smoky vanilla. I feel calm when I wear this, there is certainly a meditative quality, which was the intent as this was designed to capture a Japanese ceremony of "listening to incense." There is nothing in the “This smells like” section that comes close. Bizarre to me that no other fragrance in the world seems to share this DNA. I also like to layer with the DSH lotion - Moon Rise Accord, a beautiful ozonic/smoky scent.

Kenzo Flower Oriental is quickly becoming a favorite of mine. For a woody oriental, it's light - light enough that it can be worn anytime. The smoky incense doesn't hang heavy in the air, but instead dances lightly and quietly in sync with your movements. I detect a little bit of the steamed rice note from Indian Holi, mixed with pepper for some added zing. I like the way the smoke, floral notes and sweet vanilla blend together, giving it a distincly Asian quality that makes it unmistakably Kenzo. The bottle is beautiful...delicate, graceful, and long like the neck of a giraffe. It seems to defy gravity with it's sleek gentle curve. A single black flower graces the top, with the stem flowing down the length of its curved body. The juice itself is the palest shade of grey...as though the smoke has permeated it ever so slightly. A beautiful presentation.

I do not care for the orignal Flower by Kenzo and the Kenzo Amour is just meh-ok. I went to a Nordi's fragrance event and the Kenzo rep insisted that I try this LE. At first it was a flat NO! It immediately reminded me of a classic oriental (strong and spicy). She insisted that I wait it out and let it dry down and WOW, in about 10 minutes. . . it turned into this sensual sultry sexy deliciousness that says . . . "Come hither!" While I'm usually drawn to oriental scents, I prefer soft florientals. This is more of a powdery incense that makes it soft and "inviting". But disappointingly the staying power does not exist on me. Gotta fill a decant and take with me to touch-up. I'm searching for a backup bottle as this is am LE and now very hard to find.