KenzoAmour is the newest fragrance from Kenzo. It’s a woody oriental scent, and the latest scent to grab me enough to actually purchase it.

It is described as a “travel through Asia,” with notes like frangipani blossoms from Bali or Borobudur, cherry blossoms from Japan, tanakha wood, incense, Thai rice steam, vanilla of La Réunion, and white tea from China.

The first time I sniffed this perfume, I didn’t like it. It screamed “Ack! Powder!” at me, and I ran screaming. Scents that seem really powdery usually tickle my nose and turn me off. But there was something about this scent that kept drawing me back. I’d sneak a whiff on a paper strip, just one little sniff, and be drawn in. Soon I was noticing the vanilla, and the florals. After a little more of this tiptoe dance around the perfume, I took the plunge and sprayed it on my skin.

What’s this? It’s warm, and woodsy on my skin, and the initial powdery impression gives way to something edible. I’m reminded of a passage in Aphrodite: A Memoir of the Senses by Isabel Allende, where she describes a dream in which she is diving into a vat of rice pudding (it is a very sensual dream…), by this fragrance. It is creamy, sensual, rice pudding. Really, it’s a good thing.

This perfume is different from anything else I own. I love its warmth and softness. It’s definitely a new friend.