Maison Francis Kurkdjian is one of those houses that popped up in the last 10 years or so. You know the kind- very cool looking packaging debuting with several different scents at once and a very cool, elegant website.
Unlike some of those others, Maison Francis Kurkdjian really delivers the goods.
Cologne pour le Soir could almost be accused of consumer fraud- when I think of cologne I think of something, light and citrus, almost fleeting. While Pour le Soir isn’t exactly heavy it’s not exactly a shrinking violet. The notes are listed as benzoin, two kinds of roses, honey and incense. It’s an embrace of sweet, vanillas roses backed by musky incense. On my it’s very linear- I pretty much get the same song from first spritz to it’s last breath, just at different volumes. It’s also incredibly long lasting for a “cologne”- I get 12 hours at the least.
While in reality I’d more likely to go for the full-on technicolor that is Absolute pour le Soir in real life, receiving a bottle of this for my birthday would in no way engender bitter looks. Have any of you tried this one, or both cologne and absolute? I’d love to read what you thought of them if you have.
$210 for 200ML at Luckyscent. I honestly don’t remember where I got my tester- maybe in the goodie bag from the Spring Fling?
Image stolen from Luckyscent
I have devoured a FB of Absolue pour le Soir. Love it. Wear it all the time.
x
Howdy, Tom! I really like both of these, the cologne and the Absolue, which is one of the few cumin-containing scents that I can pull off. The cologne is lovely and warm, but I’ve found that Costes 2 goes on just a bit more cuddly and cozy on my skin than the MFK, so I tend to reach for that more often.
I have a tiny sample of the Absolute and that will probably last me a long time. It is gorgeous but soooo syrupy and rich I can’t imagine wearing it full strength for fear of a migraine hitting and being trapped in a web of sticky honey floral. I usually dab a tiny bit on under my clothes and that is plenty. Haven’t tried the cologne but would really like to as every FK I have tried has been interesting but too sweet for my tastes.
I need to try the Cologne to compare… I love Absolue. Just the right amount of skank. 🙂
It is true that the name Cologne is misleading, firstly because it is long lasting on me also, and because it is unexpectedly cuddly.
I have the FB vatful.
Absolue is similar to me but my sample does not emerge by daylight!
The other MFKs leave me cold unfortunately.
I own a full bottle of Absolue Pour Le Soir, and I have to say, every time I wear it I wish I had a vat of it I could swim in. I also get compliments when I wear it. But, I should add, that I have perfume eating skin– so I don’t find it overwhelming, but it must project well because other people can smell it on me. I think it’s one of those truly special perfumes. That is to say, I think it’s out-of-the-ordinary, well made, and just damn sexy and snuggly without being profane. Lovely stuff. Happy Holidays! Cristine
I love Absolue pour le soir. To me it’s the skankiest perfume I’ve tried, and I’ve gone through a few including mkk which I know you like, but civet is not really my thing, the honey here in Absolue is so raw and animalic and sticky. It’s also one of the sexiest perfumes I’ve tried, I’ve not gotten to a bottle yet but then I use it so only on seldom occasions, it is a bit to heavy to bandy about on the daily. I’ve not tried the cologne but I’d like to. I think Kurkdjian is great quality. I also like his oud a lot and would like to try the oud series he released this year.
This is a house I”m looking forward to trying some day. I love a good, rich perfume, and his seem to all be that way.
I own a bottle of Absolue, and I lurrrve it for special occasions. It is, shall we say, very VERY; I don’t wear it to the office, and certainly can’t trot it out for any occasion where physical exertion might be required, lest I gas the innocent bystanders. It’s a shame that my SO finds the musk to be too offputting when I think it’s gorgeous.
Hey Tom,
I’ve sniffed a couple of MFK scents over at Neiman Marcus over the years, but I haven’t ever encountered one that really rocked my socks off yet. The SAs at my particular store usually like to push that line, and they’ll usually push whatever scent has been released most recently. But I haven’t been there in a good long while. I think that’s the problem. I need to sniff APlS and see if it might be one I’d like.
I’m a guy and love Absolue Pour le Soir — an experience of the sacred and the profane alchemically combined. Soulful and sexy. A midnight tryst in an ancient church in the old country.
Am being won over by the Cologne as well, when something lighter is in order. At first I detected a rubbery note upon application but that’s bothering me less and less as the subtler spirit of the Cologne has its way.