Kenzo will launch Flower by Kenzo Essentielle, the lastest flanker to their popular Flower by Kenzo fragrance, in September.
Flower by Kenzo Essentielle “accentuates the principal notes” of the original Alberto Morillas composition. The fragrance notes feature Damask rose, jasmine, vanilla, musk, black pepper, pink pepper and incense.
Kenzo Flower by Kenzo Essentielle will be available in 25, 45 and 75 ml Eau de Parfum. (quote via cosmeticnews, additional information via sephora.fr, beaute-test)
More Flower by Kenzo flankers: Flower Oriental, FlowerbyKenzo Summer 2008, Winter Flowers, Flower by Kenzo Spring Fragrance.
Usually at least one comment of “OOH I can’t wait to try this. I love Flower and those notes sound good…”
Does this bode that the Flower franchise is getting played out? What am I thinking, this will probably still sell like mad. If it smells good, I’d be excited too. If they were all well done and IF I could ever drain 50ml in six months (i.e., if I only ever wore one or three scents like “normal” people), I might want a new Flower every season too.
What I meant to add was: I thought there’d be at least one such comment by now… I’ve been watching this get no love today. Maybe everyone is exhausted from yesterday’s open thread? Y’all went ape-crazy!
I was surprised too…I think this one sounds wonderful. But I do think they’re doing too many Flower flankers in general.
It’s already available at Sephora in France. I tried it the other day and I have the feeling that “Essentielle” might be the ultimate version of Flower by Kenzo. I also read several blog reviews and most were very favorable. IMHO Kenzo should just discountinue the original, Esentielle is really better. I even find the bottle more beautiful.
Thanks. Hope we won’t have to wait forever for it to get to the US.
Oh, that’s almost bad news! I do love Winter Flowers already. If you’re still out there, could you say more about what is so great about it? How would you describe it?
Joe, Winter Flowers is my favorite, too. I’ll be interested to see which is more bottle-worthy. I read this post earlier, but didn’t have time to add in my ‘pinion. I’d love to try this; as much as I love the original, I’m sick of it and have rotated it to a back closet for now.
Joe, I was one of the French reviewers on this, and I agree with Cedric that this is actually better than the original, at least for me. There’s a very lovely cristalline rose note in it, a little similar to the one in N°5 Eau Première, and the pepper isn’t extremely perceptible.
If you’re interested, you can pop over to my blog to see the review (just click on my pseudo) or go to 1000fragrances, Octavian’s reviewed it as well and he’s very enthusiastic. There’s another review in French on the blog Ambre Gris, which you’ll find on my blogroll.
Thanks, did not know there were that many reviews already. Here is a link for Joe & whomever else is interested:
http://graindemusc.blogspot.com/2009/07/flowerbykenzo-original-and-essentielle.html
Thanks, Denyse. I actually ended up looking at your review the other day after reading Cedric’s comment. Very nice, and gives me more of a sense of the difference. I like the idea of original Flower as an abstract suggestion of floral, and Essentielle as more actual floral accords. I’ll be excited to try it.
This does sound lovely but it has taken years for me to use up an inch of my Flower – I never feel like I can buy alternative versions of something I have unless they are way way different.
I’m with you 100% on this one. I like Flower well enough, although I don’t wear it all that often; it just seems as if there a lot of other things that I want to try, so I usually don’t bother with flankers. Plus, this one has both pink AND black pepper – I don’t know if that means that it’s spicier than the original or what. Heck, I’m not even sure that I know what pink pepper smells like.
Get one of those bottles of assorted gourmet peppercorns that has the pink ones in it and give it a smash n’ sniff. It’s pretty nice, a little more delicate and varnishy than black, to me.
Oooh … good idea. I keep thinking that maybe I should buy one of those kits with all of the different notes in them so I can learn what they all smell like. Of course, the next thought in my head usually involves buying more perfume instead.
Dang those bottles are so beautiful.
They look really pretty…would like to see them in person.
I also gave this a try at Sephora in France. It was certainly pleasant, and a good deal more tenacious than the non-flanker, but it had a more prominent plastic note. My favorite so far, by far, ir the leur Oriental, with its prominent incense note, little plastic.
I loved the Flower Oriental!
A little late to the party here after being on vaca for a few days…
This sounds very pretty – I really like the original flower so I can’t wait to sniff it. And I can hardly imagine something that smells better. I hope as suggested above that they don’t discontinue the original Flower. I love powder fragrances and it is about the be all end all powder fragrance!
Oh, I would be shocked if they discontinued Flower, it’s a big seller. But hope this one is as nice as it sounds, and hope you had a great vacation!
I really love Flower. But so far, I’ve loved basically every flanker to Flower much more than the original. I’m excited to smell this.
Flower is such a great scent, but I agree — the flankers, to me, are often easier to wear.