Kenzo
A unique visual signature based on accords, character, and seasonality
Blackberry preserves and mandarin converge in a soft burst that immediately feels more confectionery than fresh—the citrus doesn't sparkle but rather melts into the berry's purple sweetness. Within minutes, vanilla creeps in from beneath, anchoring these fruits before they can drift into anything bright.
Tuberose and jasmine emerge as creamy, almost honeyed white florals that layer luxuriously over the warm vanilla-rum base. The fragrance becomes noticeably more gourmand here, the floral notes dissolving into a creamy, almost dessert-like composition where patchouli provides gentle earthiness rather than contrast.
Vanilla and rum take permanent residence, supported by a whisper of patchouli that's been rendered soft and sweet. The composition becomes a skin scent—intimate and powdery, closer to a fragrant lotion than a traditional fragrance, fading steadily but leaving behind a sugary, vaguely boozy warmth.
Jeu d'Amour L'Élixir is a fragrance that treats sweetness as a structural element rather than a garnish. Daphné Bugey has constructed something deliberately creamy and indulgent, where blackberry and mandarin orange arrive not as bright, zesty top notes but as soft, jammy impressions—more compote than citrus peel. The fragrance's true architecture emerges in the heart, where jasmine and tuberose create a fleshy, almost honeyed floral bed rather than the typical airy white-floral aesthetic. These florals don't soar; they recline into the sweetness, becoming almost candied.
The rum in the base deserves particular mention. Rather than offering the expected spiced warmth, it functions as a creamy boozy note that softens patchouli's earthy edges, allowing vanilla to bloom with an almost custard-like quality. The patchouli itself stays decidedly clean and gourmand-leaning—you won't find dark, soil-like characteristics here. Instead, this is patchouli as a sweetening agent, a structural backdrop for the vanilla's dessert-like warmth.
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3.5/5 (104)