Reason eleventy seven why Sephora isn't doing a great service even for the brands sold there: I've tried Kenzo Amour countless of times at the store and all I got was cherry syrup. All the more subtle notes and nuances got lost in the Pink Sugar-Kim Kardashian saturated air.
The opening of Kenzo Amour is, indeed, very sweet (and that's coming from me, wearer of vanilla, immortelle and most honey perfumes known to men), but doesn't stay this way for too long, and things improve considerably, especially if one bothers giving it a generous spritz on actual skin and lives with it for a while. It becomes clear that there's a mellow wood note there, some delicate and quite sheer flowers- cherry blossom and frangipani, which aren't always my thing but in this case they're really appropriate and never become carnivorous (am I showing my pretty-flower phobia yet?).
The dry-down is all rice pudding. It's not as far out there as Kenzo Jungle L'Elephant, which explains why Amour eau de parfum is a popular fragrance while the poor Elephant has only a cult of rabid fans. On the plus side, Amour is hardly ever inappropriate and doesn't require planning ahead to wearing it. Yes, it's a gourmand, a comfort scent (the rice steam note is gorgeous) and vanilla-haters will not change teams upon testing this perfume. But it's not as low-brow as so many others in this genre and price level and above all, Kenzo Amour is pretty and friendly, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.
The success of the original spawned a sequel, Kenzo Amour Indian Holi, an extrait version- Kenzo Amour Le Parfum and a flanker, Kenzo Amour Florale. I haven't tried any of them, but now I sort of suspect I should give the first two a fair chance.
Kenzo Amour ($56, 1oz EDP) is available from Sephora and many department stores.
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I have the ryoko (20ml) of Kenzo Amour and I'm planning to buy a full bottle, maybe the small size. I find this scent really comforting in autumn and winter.
ReplyDeleteI don't usually like too sweet fragrances but this is an exception.
Good review - the first time I tested Amour was in a Sephora, and although there was nothing wrong with it, it was way too sweet for my taste. Now I wonder how much the other ambient fragrances affected it? I will have to give it another try and, as you recommend, have patience to let it develop. I do love me some rice pudding! And the bottle is great.
ReplyDeleteTry the le Parfum version! I was really taken with it. In fact, the only reason I didn't buy it was because I found it a bit similar to POTL Luctor et Emergo which I already have a bottle of, and I liked the L et E slightly more than Amour le Parfum.
ReplyDeleteI'm a rabid fan of L'Elephant and this little thing is too tame for me. But it is definitely nice and comforting.
ReplyDeleteAnother rabid fan of Elephant. I've always thought that though this sounds nice, it would be too low-key for me. But perhaps I should give it a try.
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