Life, Crap, Etc.

Much praise to BV for dumping the skinny jeans/hipsters!  Phew!  Not all of us are like a waste 30!  I must have the black trench-coat and the HOBO bag .. yum!

“Not a flower in particular, but several. Abstract florality.
It is not a rose. Nor a jasmine, or a freesia. But a sensation.
At first, a blend of spices and zest, with a fresh, invigorating impact.
At last, woody and amber notes, enveloping and manly.”

Created by Olivier Polge, for Kenzo, Kenzo Power is the hot new cologne for men this season.  Flowery, yet masculine, Kenzo Power is all about minimal sophistication.  The fragrance is very unique, and very difficult to describe .. but I’ll give it my best shot!  Kenzo Power is, as the creator describes it, “abstract florality”.  The scent is minimal floral, yet you can’t really identify the exact floral tone.  The “florality” contains hints of freesia, jasmine and rose .. but blended in such a way that no one floral scent dominates another. Similar to Juicy Coture’s “Dirty English”, Kenzo Power has a musky under-tone .. just enough to make it masculine enough .. but not too musky/masculine.  The really interesting thing about Kenzo Power is that it actually changes, as you wear it throughout the day.  The cologne starts with a burst of citrus (bergamot) and cool green spices (coriander, cardamom), forshadowed by a hint of a musk/amber overtone.  A touch of orris can be felt, much like Dior’s “Pour Homme”.  The musty/amber scent soon kicks in, with a wonderful undertone of cumin.  The musk/amber is highlighted with a strong citrus overtone, giving it an amazing “worn-out”, leathery/powdery sort of a feel.  With a spicy citrusy top encompassing cardamom and corriander, an “abstract floral” mid-tone and woody/amber (cedarwood) basetones, you can not go wrong with this cologne.  I would define Kenzo Power as a conservative cologne, with a bit of cool-tones, that can be easily worn during the day.  [For the evenings, you always want something stronger!]

Kenzo Power was launched this August (2008) and is available exclusively through Bloomingdales (in the U.S.) and Harvey Nichols (in the U.K.).  A 75ml bottle will set you back about a hundred U.S. dollars.  [Trust me, just the bottle is worth it!]

Oliver Polge is the creator behind such colognes as Dior Homme (another must-have!), Guerlain Cuir Beluga, Dior Pure Poison, Victor & Rolf Flowerbomb, among others.