Flower by Kenzo Eau de Parfum review

          I first sniffed Flower by Kenzo Eau de Parfum a few years ago. To be honest, the scent wasn't for me, but I was entranced by the stunning packaging: an impossibly tall glass vase with a sprightly red flower sealed within. For a long time, I assumed the red flower in Flower by Kenzo was supposed to be representative of the scent, but it turns out that the fragrance's inspiration, the poppy flower, is scentless.

          This poppy-inspired perfume features rose and violet choices that seem to draw from visual cues.  Roses share the poppy's bright, unapologetic crimson hue, while violets mirror the poppy's delicate petal structure and slim stalk. I'm a fan of florals, so I figured Flower by Kenzo might work for me the second time around. Today's sniff and scribble is devoted to my (re-)examination of Flower by Kenzo Eau de Parfum.

Notes: Parma Violet, Wild Hawthorne, Cassis, Bulgarian Rose, Vanilla, White Musk, Opoponax.

          Flower by Kenzo Eau de Parfum is a sweet and fanciful concoction of powdery violet, rose, and vanilla. The first fragrant act opens with the dense fleshiness and delicate tartness of hawthorne fruit. The choice of fruit is clever--- Hawthorne evokes the familiarity of berries, while adding the unique intrigue of an uncommon fruit. (For the record, candied hawthornes are quite scrumptious!) The fruit is quickly joined by a slowly sashaying skirt of rose, whose fragrance spreads like plumes of mist across the floor. After the hawthorne and rose dance comes to a close, cassis appears to add its dewy sweetness to the mix. Then, in the second act, enter violet! The violet doesn't have much depth, but has a significant presence in the scent. It shares the spotlight with a doughy, powdery vanilla. The combination is simple, sweet, and thick.

           After the over-indulgent opening, there's a slim silence in Flower by Kenzo--- an intermission if you will --- where the scent retracts and I can barely notice the airy whispers of vanilla, violet, and hawthorne behind the curtain. At this point, I'm lost above the clouds on a sugar high, grasping at air in hopes of finding an anchor or base to the scent. However, as with Flower by Kenzo's suspended poppy, I can't find its root. Our theoretical poppy is a clipped stem, floating, no longer connected to earth. For the final act, the doughy vanilla returns, slightly abetting the sugar rush. A white musk (read: a very light musk) is barely present and does little except to smooth things. The saving grace of the Flower by Kenzo is the very late appearance of a light opoponax; its tendrils of dark wood and incense intertwine with vanilla for a more balanced and grounded finish.

           Flower by Kenzo Eau de Parfum smells of powdery, candied violets and rose petals served with a generous drizzle of warm vanilla creme. A light, woody incense tempers the sugar high. It's a dulcet scent with a sense of innocence. That said, Flower does run the risk of coming across as too sweet. It's a bit overwhelming for me; perhaps this perfume would work better on those whose skin chemistry better enhances the opoponax base.

          Though the perfume's moniker may be Flower, it doesn't really celebrate florals. Theoretically I should have enjoyed it since I love violet and rose, but the fragrance lacks both the voluptuous character of the former and the earthiness of the latter. All in all, Flower by Kenzo ironically seems more appropriate for those who enjoy sweet gourmands rather than floral lovers like me. Perhaps this was to be expected; after all, its inspiration, the poppy, is a flower without a scent!

        Thanks for reading! Have you tried Flower by Kenzo? Do you like sweet scents? What perfumes have you been wearing lately?

Love, Dovey.