Sunday, September 20, 2009

Kai - Another Cult Fragance Favorite

There's no question I'm a floral fragrance fanatic - a selective fanatic, though. My florals have to be "pure," meaning they cannot contain ubiquitous stink bombs like patchouli or amber.

Kai is a blend of gardenia and white flowers (jasmine, tuberose, and lily). It evokes Hawaii, where the creator spent her youthful vacations, or Florida, where I loved to sit near the gardenias in a friend's garden. Perhaps I inherited my love of gardenias from my mother; she carried a gardenia bouquet at her wedding to my father, a marriage that lasted until he died in his 80s a few years ago.

Kai is light, green, clean, and heavenly. What's great about Kai is that there are so many products to love. There is the Eau de Parfum Spray ($72) for those who simply want a spray fragrance. The Perfume Oil ($45), which comes in a rollerball, is perfect for throwing in your purse. One really cool product is the Body Glow Spray ($30). This is a lightly fragranced spray body oil that adds a bit of glow to your skin - nothing dramatic, just a nice clean sheen. The new Body Butter ($60 in a big jar) has a shea butter base that leaves you moisturized and irresistible.

There's more! Check out Kai at Beautyhabit.com, LuckyScent, or Google Kai if you like florals. Devotees include Charlize Theron, Cate Blanchett, Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Gardner, Tyra Banks, and Mariah Carey - and then there's me.

Although this fragrance has been available for years, it's still not well-known. Perhaps because it's not a department store or magazine ad staple? DCers: you can buy it at Art with Flowers at the Tysons Galleria.

Photo courtesy of Kai.

4 comments:

Lizzie said...

I first used Kai about 6 years ago and it smells AMAZING. Thanks for brining me back to this...I think I need to go get some more! :)

Charlestongirl said...

Hi Lizzie, I wrote about it for much the same reason. I had been wearing other fragrances, and suddenly the Kai bottle grabbed me. I discovered it all over again!

CG said...

I too have been a Kai girl for quite a few years! It is hard to find a gardenia fragrance to do the flower justice. Do you have a preference in the formulations? I only have the oil version. I live in Silver Spring, and shame on me for not knowing about that place in Tyson's! I will have to check it out soon.

Charlestongirl said...

CG, I like them all. I throw my oil rollerball in my purse for a mid-day touchup. I use the spray with abandon in the morning. I think I'm pretty fickle when it comes to a favorite. I layer the spray over the cream. Anything Kai pleases me.

If you go to Art with Flowers, make sure to tell Bill that Adrienne sent you. They are on the third floor not too far from Macy's. Tell Bill your scent preferences, and he will show you the things you might like. Fun guy!