L'eau de Kasaneka

L'EAU DE KASANEKA by Menard Opens with all reserved elegance amidst an unsweetened dark-spicy-citric-melange of bergamot, orange, ginger, basil, cardamom, and nutmeg soon followed by the entrance of gentle hamanasu rose blossoms. Then the quiet, restrained carnality of ambrette seeds arrive and mingle with musk in an enveloping breath of hushed, shadowy sensuality. A delicate heliotrope swirls mischievously inside the smooth blend of spicy carnation blossoms with hints of clove and almonds while a buttery smooth trace of ylang-ylang, vanilla, and sweetly erotic jasmine balance the entire composition within complex layers of deep femininity. A beautifully subdued cedar entwines itself within groves of densely rich, balmy, and astringently meditative sandalwood. To my nose and on my skin this is exceedingly and exquisitely Japanese. Never loud or bombastic. Perfectly refined. Exceptionally discreet. Quiet, hushed, deeply contemplative and bittersweet. Strong and tenacious, but never suffocating, never loud. Like the most gorgeous, delicate and finely embroidered silk.....wrapped around a sword of the finest sharpened steel. This is the samurai warlord’s wife. Supremely self-contained, elegant, educated, gracious, modest, loyal, and honorable. Beneath this woman’s magnificent, many layered, scented silken kimono is a formidable creature indeed. No excessive sweetness exists here to flatter and charm. Here... there is only the stark beauty of steadfast devotion. This heart is a bottomless depth of dark passions and the bittersweet constancy of unrelenting honor. Incredibly beautiful.

A quick orgasm of basil, cardamon with a touch of mandarin/ bergamot. Varnyte is true, this reminds me of cola drink, but without that boozy soda. Top notes however, gone in 5 second. Then instantly the nutmeg overruled, followed by a shy caress of light jasmine & powdery carnation. This phase is so low on projection. My nose have to struggle hard to pick up the notes. Finally, the base is sandalwood with vanilla. I didn't get any bitter vetiver or cedar, as this phase is sweet enough to be a vetiver. The musk came late, but it's there. To wear Kasaneka, I think I would need at least 5-10 sprays, it really is close to the skin. Subtle but noticeable, so Japanese.... Overall, I really really love the scent! So much of my floriental type, with hints of spices. Cozy and friendly, like a fireplace in winter. But don't be mistaken by its looks, even though the bottle looks oldies it never smells outdated. Alas, with low projection and longevity, I think I will not buy this one anytime soon.

The initial spray on my skin is balmy, mildly sweet and spicy. Closing my eyes, I get pleasant whiffs of ginger, cardamom, vanilla and jasmine ... all smoothly blended with nothing piercing. This fragrance is by no means shy nor forgettable as I thought it would be. I was pleasantly surprised as it may be demure yet it is brimming with unabashed confidence. The scent settles down swiftly into the most glorious powdery aura laden with soft florals and whisper of vanilla rendering it an addictive quality. It's the kind that draws you in slowly but surely in a hypnotic way. That's definitely KASANEKA, it may seem reticent but it has the esoteric power to mesmerize. I adore it and I foresee a full bottle in my future!

This Japanese geisha is very refined, tasteful, cozy, with an undercurrent of unlocked lust. The japanese rose /cardamon/hellitrope is at the forefront, with a base of vanilla and ambrette estrogen. A hint of basil, ginger and nutmeg along with the cardamon spices this beauty in an understated manner. The black and gold bottle is elegantly bedazzeled with a gorgeous obi. The solid performance of this perfume with it's unusual mix of notes, is a serene, yet sexy path for me.

This truly is a masterpiece. A powder soft green veil over spicy vanilla soaked wood in a gentle floral breeze. It`s just poetic. One spray and i turn into a romantic. The bottle is equally lovely, simple yet elegant. What else is there to say.

The bottle is so fancy!!! the juice is also nice. The openning is kinda "fresh" because the combination of orange and ginger. Then nutmeg and cardamon take place, bring a softe warm and a little foody feeling. I didn't get clear floral notes though. Maybe it's because my skin highlights warm notes more. One thing that disappointes me is the staying power, for a oriental fragrance, it's a bit short.

The opening is very beautiful, with a lot of orange, bergamot, ginger and Jasmine. But the drydown is poor. I've bought it only because I fall in love with the start notes, but unfortunately they last not so long and than something weird comes out. I had not used this parfum for a long time, until I've got an idea to put some essential oils in there, and now it is a magic smell, driving me crasy.

It smells veeery similar to Dolce Vita by Dior,almost the same.I was dissapointed from this one ,because i was excpecting something new

Can't help it ... i must quickly wash my hands :( I just feel dizzy. This is quite complex fragrance, warm but too heavy, doesn't work for me.

L'eau de Kasaneka by Menard is very unusual. I haven't smelt many Japanese perfumes before as I've always favoured European perfume houses, however, L'eau de Kasaneka could challenge my beliefs. The scent is quite soft and ethereal with delicate rose, ambrette, cardamom, vanilla, citrus, heliotrope and cedar. It's a comforting spicy rose scent with a hint of powdery-ness. Despite its subtlety, it is unlike anything I've ever smelt before. The composition is surprisingly complex and is constantly evolving on the skin. I don't usually enjoy ambrette, (also known as musk mallow), in fragrances. Even in niche fragrances, ambrette tends to smell synthetic and sharp to my nose, yet in L'eau de Kasaneka I find this note far more tolerable. The ambrette blends well with the citrus and rose accords, and when further complemented by the spices, the musky ambrette accord is less pronounced. The rose accord in L'eau de Kasaneka is not dense or tart like most rose-dominant fragrances. This is a Japanese rose, soft and powdery like rose-scented talcum powder. L'eau de Kasaneka is a romantic, 'cozy' kind of scent. I wouldn't describe it as 'sexy' or 'sensual'. To my understanding, L'eau de Kasaneka is no longer in production. I happened upon this fragrance purely by chance and received a sample when purchasing some used fragrances from a private seller. I am thankful for his generosity as I have now broadened my experience with the house of Menard. Their main website suggests that they are a Japanese luxury skincare brand.

Menard L'EAU DE KASANEKA opens very invitingly with a burst of brightness but also perfumey florality. It definitely seems to be an extraordinary and unique composition for a few minutes. After the enticing opening, this perfume starts to smell like a variation on the familiar sandalwood vanilla theme, although the heliotrope and jasmine are still detectable, along with a light dose of spices. The nutmeg, ambrette, and cardamom are not at all dominant, but they appear to work together to help produce the rich texture of this perfume. I've been noticing more and more that adding ambrette to nearly anything is a good idea! (-; In some ways, L'EAU DE KASANEKA seems to be an ideal model for all of the zillions of sandalwood vanilla perfumes launched by designers who decide to give perfumery a go to round out their fashion line. Having been launched in 2004, this was obviously not the first of the rash of sandalwood vanilla frags, but the quality of this one makes it stand out to my nose. So often this sort of composition ends up smelling stale and yucky on my skin after only an hour or two. Not so with L'EAU DE KASANEKA. Although it smells less original in the drydown, I still find it appealing. After all, sandalwood + vanilla was always a good idea, it's just that it has been cheapened up and degraded through the use of poor quality synthetic sandalwood surrogates. I recommend this perfume to those looking for a floriental sandalwood-vanilla composition with niche-quality components.

Very beautiful, oriental smell. But not smell of India or for example of Morocco- heavy, soundly spicy, stuffy. It is eastern - japanese, so delicate and ingenious. Such quiet composition fruits, spicy ( fine smell cardamon,ginger) andy trees ( cedar,vetiver, sanalwood) . In subtleness very magic. Kasenka not cry, not sing. It is whisper. Discreetly elegant, soft, simply - ideally woman's , if we understand femininity as delicacy, warm, elegancy and secret. Very, very pleases me.

I really like it, it is oriental and very light at the same time. Reminds me coca-cola a lot!!!:D Problem is that it does not last on my skin for a long time, only a half an hour:(