Amour Le Parfum is Kenzo's new limited edition Parfum (extrait) version of 2006's Kenzo Amour. It was inspired by the "gold of the Orient", if that helps you in any way, and was developed by perfumer Daphne Bugey, who along with Olivier Cresp created the original Amour fragrance.
Amour Le Parfum does for Amour what Kenzo Flower Oriental did for the original Flower: it sticks with the main theme but tempers the sweetness with a darker, woodier base. Amour's pale opening of cherry blossom and rice steam (other notes in the original: white tea, frangipani, heliotrope, thanaka wood, incense, vanilla and musk) is amped up and winterized with warmer notes (amber, incense, benzoin and patchouli). It is very dusty-resinous in the early stages, later, it's flatter and more ambery-woody.
I really liked Amour, but even I'll admit it was bland — I noted when I reviewed it that "as with rice pudding, it is the blandness itself that is compelling". If you sort of liked Amour, but disagreed with the "compelling" part (in other words, you found it too bland, too pale or too sweet), Amour Le Parfum may sway you. It's deeper, drier, less pudding-ish. Those of you who particularly disliked the heliotrope in Amour may not be so happy, though; to my nose, it's considerably more noticeable — it's not overwhelming, but there's a definite undercurrent of play doh in the dry down.
The bottle is the same gorgeous Karim Rashid design they used for the regular Amour and for the Amour Indian Holi flanker, done here in a handsome matte bronze-gold finish. I noted that the original, brightly colored Amour bottles fairly screamed "buy me", this one screams louder still.
It's going to be really hard to write a "Best of 2008" post this year — there have been so many new releases that just remembering them all will be a challenge — but I'm sure Amour Le Parfum will make the list.
Kenzo Amour Le Parfum is available in 30 or 50 ml Parfum. Sephora has the 30 ml in stock now for $65.
Great Review Robin! I love Flower Oriental, and your review made me want amour le parfum rs
Did you find something in common betwenn Amour Le Parfum and Brit Gold?
That bottle is TDF!!!! Want!
I have been trying to sniff this… hasn't made it to my SA Sephora. I am still a bit more partial to the bright Amour bottles, tho.
Yay, you like the extrait! Yep, definitely beats the original.
Btw, how much of the benzoin did yet get from Le Parfum?
I love every one of this series, despite myself. I'm going to try this one out tonight at work. Thanks for the review – it sounds delicious. Now I am craving rice pudding. Did I ever mention how much I love Play Doh?
Hope it will get there soon!
I really like all the bottles, but in person, like this one the best 🙂
Kayliana, the price isn't bad, either, for an extrait in that bottle.
Henrique, other than the obvious common notes, no, not really.
Mostly in the opening, how about you?
If you like rice pudding + play doh + incense, I think you'll like this one.
Quite a lot of it and, actually, way beyond the opening. However, it got lost amidst the amber & heliotrope in the far drydown.
I'm wearing Héritage today, btw. Great stuff! 🙂
I was thinking about the review of Kenzo Flower Oriental and how someone called in Flower with extra bits…and that is kind of how I think of this new one.
I really like it. I own a bottle of the original (yes, I HAD to have a fushia bottle) and it is nice. Very subtle and soft. This one is richer.
Funny that I have the Original Flower, and the Oriental, the Amour and will most likely get this one. And I am quite sure that I like the ones with the “extra bits” more.
All of Kenzo's flankers seriously confuse me
Hey, I'm intrigued. I liked Amour but did't (yet) get it. This might be the better choice if I ever get down to that position on my wish list – it sounds a bit less girly… is more classically feminine than the orinigal?
I prefer the original bright coloured lacquer finish bottles BY FAR, though! This bronze makes me think of a late 1970s Las Vegas film with a big-haired protagonist in a Ford Mustang, looking a bit like Karen Carpenter.
You had me at rice pudding 🙂
Where did I read that 30ml at $65 is the new free? I feel my wallet getting $65 lighter.
As I deleved into perfume more and more – and found which notes really turn me off…Oriental Florals are it.
I must be some weirdo. I do not like vanilla, nor patchouli (but that's baggage from an old boyfriend) and anything spicy.
I'm finding I do like mossy woodsy with florals or green (like grass) tones…
I was pretty sure this perfume wouldn't be for me.
I should probably try and become one of the Fridays “Let's find Laura a perfume” posts (I'm kinda spending a lot looking around – but it's FUN!)
I liked the colored bottles better too, expectially the Fuschia.
Yes, wish the far dry down stayed more resinous than it does. But oh well, I like play doh too. And of course you smell great!
Hey, you've got an impressive Kenzo collection! My wish for the next one: Amour Le Parfum + extra spice.
I didn't get it yet either — it's on my “to buy” list but not in a serious way. I would have bought it if I'd ever seen it at serious discount. This one is worth the $65, I think.
I would say this one is less girly, just because it isn't quite as sweet.
Karen Carpenter, LOL!
I guess its not really the flankers… I think its more that all the bottles look the same
I was thinking of the white/orange/pink Amours being flankers, but all three are the original just in different colors, right?
I don't remember what I thought of Amour when I tried it, maybe I'll try this if its at Sephora next time I go.
Mmm…when you mention “rice puddingish”, do you mean milky? Because I don't get along with “milky” scents. Otherwise, this sounds interesting.
Did anyone here like Winter Flowers? The opening gave me a scentgasm, but then the dry down wasn't what I had hoped for.
Really, eventually I will buy myself a bottle of L'Eau D'Hiver and just be done with it.
Wow, so you think this may actually make the “Best of 2008” list? That's impressive. You didn't buy it yet though?
How did you feel about the Indian Holi compared to the other two? I haven't tried any, but I'm curious — would this “work” on a guy (though I realize that's a somewhat silly question)?
LOVE the comment “$65 is the new 'free'”.
<--guy I wear Amour and no-one has ever said anything but that I smell nice. Holi smelled more feminine to me and not to my taste. (I may not be the best to ask about what "works" on a guy, though, since I wear No. 19 and L'Huere Bleue to the office.)
Ah, I see. Yes, the original Amour came in 3 colors, and then the Indian Holi was the same bottle in hot pink, and that one you can tell apart from the others because it has a design on the bottle itself.
erm, of course that sentence should have read “I personally draw the line only at…”
Doesn't sound like it would be for you, but anything is worth a shot! If you want to be a Monday Mail subject, shoot me an email but we're booked for the next 3-4 weeks and after that we'll take a break until after the holidays. Email: nowsmellthis at comcast dot net.
I'd call it “lightly” milky — it doesn't quite qualify as creamy to me, and the LP is less milky than the regular.
Joe, strictly speaking, I *did* buy it, but that was only because Sephora didn't have testers and the SA said she wasn't sure if they would, and so she suggested I buy it and return it if I didn't like it. Done! But I'm not putting it on my “bought” list until I decide if I'll keep it or return it.
It's FBW for sure, but it wasn't what I was planning to buy next so I'm still dithering, esp. since that Keiko Mecheri sale at Luckyscent made me buy something else I wasn't planning to.
LOL. I love your definition of “buying.” I should try that once in awhile.
This “$65 is the new free” mantra has me chuckling, thinking of the cashier in “Terms of Endearment” — when Debra Winger's character starts putting candy bars and junk back on the conveyer belt after a food stamp embarassment…”Lady, you're going in the wrong direction…” 😉
Mind you, I'm going to check this Amour Le Parfum…Amour is such a nicely for me, for no reason I can put my finger on (except rice pudding).
I wish I worked in the same office with you! The men in my office are big fans of Axe. 🙁
Surprisingly this one already made it to Brazil( I guess the first end up selling like hot cakes)….
This one is very pleasant, but too sweet for me!
Butting in — I have Indian Holi and I vote you wear it — it's stronger than the Amours so watch the sillage, but to me it's more incense than sweet florals. I think it would be delicious on a man.
Of all of them I think Flower Oriental smells the most traditionally masculine in the drydown. But Le Parfum is giving it a run for its money, still sniffing it almost 12 hours later. Mmmmm.
You mean buy & return? I never do it (uh, other than now, LOL), makes me feel guilty — but wanted to smell this very badly!
Gosh, I need to watch that movie again — I don't remember that scene at all! But hope you'll like the Amour LP.
That's what I meant. I'd feel guilty too. Once I was happy that a Macy's SA let me take a spritz of a fragrance for which they didn't have a tester, but obviously that is very rare indeed and probably frowned upon. If you don't return it you can always sell decants at a huge markup. Ha! But who has time for that?
Thanks to your review, a bottle of this is on its way to me. It sounds like my perfect perfume…I'll let you know if I agree with you! I think the clincher was that I can always return it if it's “meh”. The sale at Sephora made hitting “purchase” a bit easier, too. 🙂
I think this Amour Le Parfum is full bottle worthy indeed, I think it will look nice next to my Fushia colored bottle.
I tried it on my skin once, and need to again. It smelled very much like the Original Flower to me.
Thanks for the review, Robin. I am extremely fond of the original Amour, it's by my bed for night time spritzing should I sometimes feel the need and the dark pink bottle is gorgeous. You had me saying yes yes yes all the way to heliotrope though. I can take heliotrope sometimes (Herve Leger) and the small amount in original Amour does not bother me but if it's amped up I may have a problem (love the smell of play doh but do not want it cropping up in my scents to wear!). Maybe the dryness will help it out. And then such a reasonable price point and size. Kenzo do it again – congrats to them!
Not me, that's for sure!
Oh dear, hope you love it!
Well, do give it a shot — maybe you'll think I'm crazy. I read a number of comments about the Play Doh in the original and really I didn't notice it — here, I did.
Yup, at this time of the year every fragrance that I dislike is a bless
LOL
Ordered samples of both Indian Holi & Le Parfum (among other things) this morning, so we'll see. As if I need to add anything more to my FBW list…
I feel the same way about Heliotrope – and agree that it was just about at an acceptable level in Herve Leger.
I love Indian Holi, by the way. I dont' know what it is – maybe I find the pepper or the floralness makes it somehow more varied than the full-on vanilla of Amour, though I like Amour too.
I got to try ALP today and have to ask, does anyone else find it a smell-a-like for POTL Luctor et Emergo? I get incense and play-dough, but also a subtle note of green grass.
Now to try and decide between ALP and Kenzo Winter Flowers! Any advice, Robin?
I'll have to try it next to POTL — wouldn't have thought, but who knows? And no, no advice. I like this one better than WF (much better) but that's just me!
I like this version way better than the original Amour and Amour Indian Holy. It's definitely full bottle worthy. Thanks for your lovely review!
Amour Le Parfum actually is an Eau de Parfum – I think, you got this wrong in your article above.
My box & bottle both say “Parfum”, not “Eau de Parfum” — why do you think it's an EdP?
Oh, interesting. I have only seen the Eau de Parfum in shops over here (in Germany) and thought there wasn't an extrait version at all. Puzzeling…
Here's a link to to the webpage of the popular chain Douglas with its EdP offer:
http://www.douglas.de/douglas/productbrand_3000026621.html
That's the same one I've got. Sephora in the US also says it's Eau de Parfum. The box says, very clearly, Parfum, but who knows…and in the end, it doesn't make any difference to me — it isn't like there is a legal definition of the terms anyway!
Sure, it doesn't make any practical difference at all.
First!: A flood of melted vanilla ice cream!
Second!: Wierd mineral bath salts!
Third!: Some crazy has lead me to a steaming bath of melted vanilla ice cream and “fresh-scented” bath salts and is currently holding my face two inches above the surface of the hot mixture and demanding I pay him the money he thinks I owe him. Believe me, if he were real, I'd pay it.
I do agree that the bottle is disappointing in person. I'm not a fan of the shape anyway but at least the originals had a pretty, shiny finish….
LOL — sounds like you didn't buy it 😉