Saturday, March 16, 2013

One of a Kind: Kai Perfume Oil

The first time I smelt Kai, fishing it out of a friend's purse with curiosity, I was intrigued but not necessarily impressed. It seemed so simple and unpretentious, yet potent and enveloping. I had no idea of its cult status, availability or price, just that my friend bought her tiny vial from the US. Fast forward a year or two, and it's obsession. It started with sniffing it each time I stepped inside Mecca Cosmetica, and slowly but surely, my love grew. It smelt better to me each time I spritzed the perfume or applied the rollerball. Despite many longing gazes at the shelf where all the Kai products were displayed, I just couldn't get over the price. To my sheer delight, I was fortunate to have received the perfume oil as a birthday gift.






I've never been a huge fan of gardenia perfumes, but Kai is invariably described as a gardenia scent. I don't think it's as sweet, creamy or heady as pure gardenia — there's hints of other white flowers and a certain greenness to it that gives it more softness and depth. It evokes summer nights. I find it mellow and inviting while also having a brightness and uplifting quality. Clean, not overly sweet, not soapy, nothing cheap-smelling or artificial about it. Just floral essence melded with your skin.

This should be fairly unremarkable and nothing unique, but surprisingly, it's been near impossible to find something that smells exactly like, or close to Kai. If I could track down a cheaper alternative, I would be onto it in a second. The price is beyond exorbitant (I mean, $78 for the 3.6ml perfume oil?!) and the only online retailer I could find that ships to Australia is Kiss and Makeup NY. I'm seriously tempted by the 50ml EDP ($122), but I'm holding out until I finish at least half of the rollerball. In the meantime, you'll find my nose glued to my wrists each time I dab some of this glorious stuff on.

30 comments:

  1. Wow it's pretty pricey! But it must smell absolutely amazing :)

    The small bottle looks so cute >.<

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  2. oh the perfume oil is really pricey!
    I have never heard about the brand, but it sounds so tempting! where is it originally from?
    I'll try to find out if they're available here in germany :0

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    1. USA. Yeah, it's crazily expensive. I wonder if it would be available in Germany - I'd be surprised if it was!

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  3. $78?! That does put a dent in your wallet for something that is 3.8ml! However, it does sound quite intriguing, I must go out and give it a wiff :) Oh btw, I have tagged you in my latest post: The Procrastinating Beauty Blogger Tag! Hope you'll do it as well :D x

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  4. It's quite pricey but I think that if it smells that great you should get it!! :) I haven't heard about this brand before but this one sounds wonderful! <33

    I am running an international giveaway on my blog now, I'd love it if you enter! :)

    XO,
    http://www.rosychicc.com/

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  5. omg $78 for that tiny amount?! thats so intense for essentially just a small vial of oils
    hope its a "little goes a long way" product! is there anywhere in aus where i can get a whiff of this scent myself? :)

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  6. How pricey! :o But if you like, then go for it!x

    http://norwegianelephant.blogspot.com

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  7. It's a bit expensive, yes, but some products are worth the money! :)

    MyMakeUpCompulsion

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  8. First of all: love your nails <3

    Then, I've try essential oils in the past, but this is really expensive and tiny ahaha. I can't really imagine the fragance because is difficult to drescibe it in words (I guess) but if you say that you haven't find nothing like this, it must be so nice and sweet :D and oils last forever, you take a shower and the smell is still there!!
    Hugs!

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  9. oh it is pricey but I bet it's worth spending money:)

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  10. I agree. It seems like a sort of generic scent, but I keep going back for more, and I haven't found anything else to be quite the same. Of course, I haven't looked that hard... T_T

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  11. Oh my gosh this is insanely pricey!! Worth it though if you love it so much :)

    Cassie
    thriftthick.blogspot.com

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  12. That sounds lovely! I love the scent of gardenias and do enjoy floral perfumes. I've never tried perfume oils before, but am tempted to seek this out when I get the chance.

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  13. OH espensive!! But I like the convenience of perfume oils because it's easy to handle. (:

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  14. I love Kai, such a gorgeous scent x

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  15. I never tried this prduct. But like how your describe looks like a soft essence.

    xoxo

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  16. Wow, I can't get over the price. You're better off asking a friendly US blogger to send one to you. I used to see Kai at a boutique near my office but never saw it again after that place shut down. Now I feel the irresistible urge to sniff it and have no clue where it is.

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  17. wow,, this blogpost makes me curious how it smells like lol

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  18. Damn you! I'm intrigued now x

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  19. This sounds so interesting! I will definitely check it out next time I am in store. Very pricey though!

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  20. Wow that is pricy. For my own safety I'll not sniff it, I couldn't justify such a price as I'm prone to smashing rollerballs when I keep them in handbag. The 50ml is alright though, worth investigating :)

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  21. The way you described the scent makes me want to jump on a plane and go there to take a whiff at your wrist LOL Now seriously, I can only imagine how wonderful this parfum smells that you'd be willing to pay such outrageous amount of money, but that special scent, you know, "YOUR" scent is a once in a lifetime thing so save up and splurge on it, I'm sure it'll be worth it. I was fortunate enough to find mine at the duty free on my latest trip bottled up in a glass tube that said The Body on it *wink xx

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  22. That's pretty pricey for a perfume! But if it smells great, I'd totally go for it. I'm debating on whether I should check it out or not - I'd love to because of how you described the scent, but I'm afraid I might splurge on it as well :P

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  23. I have never smelt this - cue trip to Mecca!

    Laura
    www.whitewintersblog.com

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  24. It's hard when you find a smell you like and it costs so much! But at least with perfumes and oil, a little can go a long way. :)

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  25. Yes, it's pricey but I'm excited to try, too curios of the smell.

    -UncommonScents.com

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  26. This was my favorite perfume for yeeeears. I had actually forgotten about it until I read your blog post, but now that I've remembered what it smells like, I really want to get my hands on another bottle! Good thing my birthday's coming up...

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  27. I really love the oils, as they are light in scent; the kind you can enjoy while you slather one but not feel like they overpower.Brand Fragrance oil

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