Kenzoair (2003)
by Kenzo

Anise/licorice right up front, no doubt about it. The vetiver is nice and peppery. I have the EdP and the cumin really is... self-defeating. Just add more pepper to the vetiver. Eh, it's ok but it's abrasive to the note. Look out if you have allergies. This is unique.

Now this is what I'm talking about. Fresh, sweet, unobtrusive and clear, this is very well balanced and the bottle looks great. The scent is quite transparent, and airy, but then it stays around for longer than any other fragrance I own, and just kind of 'pops up' very now and again in a really nice way. I don't think I've ever really seen licqourice used in this way before. Total thumbs up.

When I first tried this in the department store I really couldn't pick up much of anything, but once you get it home, and away from the competing smells, Kenzoair starts to come out of its shell. There's that definite licorice note at first that evolves into just a really pleasant vetiver, and as light as it is (and as much of a fragrance hoover as my skin is) this scent just kind of keeps hanging around. I can usually still detect it 4 hours after application, which is more than ample for this frag. The bottle I bought was labeled Kenzoair Eau de Toilette Intense, but as far as I can tell this is the one and only version of this scent, though I'm sure I've seen it around without the "Intense".

Good, descriptive and apt name, and a mini-masterpiece of a square and frosted glass bottle. My favourite Kenzo. Weak, like them all (apart from the medicinal original in the blue-black curved glass bottle), so lasting just a few hours. My impression was of a simple liquorice combined with fresh hay (the hay as in Jicky), fading in a linear fashion to zero. Not sweet. Unlikely to cause offence to allergy sufferers and super-noses. Spring / summer, rather than Autumn / WInter.

Didn't think licorice could be so pleasant. This shares alot in common with Emporio Armani White He, but that frag is far inferior in strength and complexity compared to Air. Air is very light yet it is there. The notes are deliciously sweet yet masculine. It is good for those days you don't want to assault the nose of the people around you but you want to be unique. Don't bother if you don't like licorice.

I've always been a fan of Kenzo's scents for both men and women, but I didn't like Kenzoair when it first came out. I must say it's definitely grown on me. The only two notes I can make out in it are anise and vetiver, but man, they smell fantastic. The anise fades away after a short while (20-30 minutes tops, in my case) and leaves behind a very, very nice aroma of vetiver. Kenzoair's sillage is minimal--barely extending past a few inches--but its longevity is OK. Applied it last night at 5 PM, and I could still detect it at 11 PM.

Anise and vetiver fans will like this one, and the bottle is a minor masterpiece.