When I reviewed Mark Buxton's Wood & Absinth last week, several people mentioned another vetiver + anise fragrance, Kenzo Air (or Kenzoair, as I believe the brand prefers). How I made it all this time without smelling Kenzo Air is a bit of a mystery to me, but I suppose the name “Air” was not all that appealing? Obviously I needed to smell it, and since it didn't seem to be available locally (and it's too cold to go outside anyway), I ordered some right away. I'd like to point out that I made it a full 13 days into 2009 before breaking rule no. 1 (or no. 2? I can't remember) and buying something unsniffed, but this was cheap enough that it wouldn't have killed me if I'd hated it. And lo and behold, everyone who commented was right: it's wonderful.

Kenzo launched Air in 2003; it was intended as…

… a breath of fresh air… it lets a man discover his inner child. The fragrance denotes an elegant, masculine presence, awakening childhood sensations and familiar impressions, shaking things up and reinventing them…

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