Apicius
Very helpful Review
3
Ouzo Intense?
Kenzo is well known for “airy” perfumes: aquatics and sports fragrances, and lots of fresh summer scents. But: whenever they do something different, they state the opposite by giving the perfume a completely misleading name. Just as Kenzopower is not powerful but a very faint and discreet musk, Kenzo Air is not ozonic, at least not the Intense version. Only the deep blue square bottle which is very stylish indicates something airy.
In fact, Kenzo Air Intense is a spice bomb, and the overall dominating impression is aniseed. The fragrance salutes us with a very alcoholic form of that spice, and one really wonders if it is perfume that comes out of the bottle. Instantly, one feels reminded of the taste and smell of Greek Ouzo or Turkish Raki liquor! You cannot escape it when you go to a Greek restaurant – they will serve it to you as a digestif along with the bill.
I like Ouzo, and I have no averseness towards aniseed. But any fragrance becomes problematic if it is very close to the smell of food, especially alcoholic beverages. In the end, you will have to thoroughly make up your mind about the occasions that you might want to wear Kenzo Air Intense. The Ouzo impression is so strong that it limits this fragrance to your private environment – absolutely out of question as an office wear, even if the Ouzo top note gets tamed after a while.
Indeed, the alcoholic impression fades with the head notes, giving way to a dry woodiness. The aniseed, however, is further on supported by a rough and bitter Vetiver note. The lean, bitter spiciness is transferred through the whole drydown. Traces of Ouzo will join you throughout the day, and so I consider this Eau de Parfum strength. Kenzo Air Intense is attractive to anybody who appreciates a dry and lean spiciness, not the warm and opulent gingerbread feeling that may come with notes of clover or cinnamon. If it just wasn't so close to Ouzo, Kenzo Air Intense would be dynamic and straightforward enough to be used in a professional environment. This woody spiciness gives me some energy and strength, and so the basic structure indeed is that of an office scent – confusing!
Next to the intense version, there was the original which was a bit more close to the concept of airiness, with considerably less spices, and it would probably appeal more to my today's taste. Both fragrances have been discontinued, but some leftover bottles can still be purchased over the internet. Kenzo Air Intense is considerably different to what one would expect from a Kenzo perfume. It is well worth testing if you can find it.