Francis Kurkdjian APOM Femme and Homme and two more!

We come to the last four of the Francis Kurkdjian scents today.  I’ve very much enjoyed discovering them.  I like some better than others, but it s a good mix of complicated and uncomplicated, differing price points and approaches.  And each of them has a nice surprising twist to it that takes it out of what you think it is at first.  Beautifully and creatively done.

Cologne Pour le Matin has notes of Bergamote from Calabria, Lemon from Sicily, White Thyme from Morocco, Lavender from Provence, and Orange Flower from Tunisia.  This is a lovely, crisp, refreshing day cologne in the style of 4711 or Eau de Cologne from Chanel.  No surprises here, but it’s well done for what it is and smells delightful, like you just bit into sunshine.  The drydown blows off some of the cheerfulness and reveals more of the herbal notes.  This, like the Soir, I could happily spray everywhere in my house.

Acqua Universalis is billed as the universal water, something you can use anywhere, any time, on anything.  I really expected to hate this because I was sure I’d be met with that TFA that makes my lower lip curl up.  Yeah, it’s got that a little, but almost like an inside joke. Notes of Bergamote and Lemon from Sicily, White Bouquet (Lily of the Valley and sweet mock orange), and Light and Musky Wood.  the Lily of the Valley and woods save it from my hate until it gets to the part I like. It’s got some quirky turns in it that I read as that fresh thing, but then I get some musk.  It’s much  more interesting than I thought it would be.  It’s that chipper girl that used to smile big and chirp a big “Heeelllooo” every morning at you in the coffee shop when you were still asleep and more than mildly cranky that you grudgingly grew to like and look forward to seeing.

APOM (short for A Piece of Me) Pour Femme has notes of Orange Flower, Cedar wood, Ylang-Ylang flower.  this is just lovely. Perky and still elegant, the orange flower and ylang unfold beautifully into a more woody feel so it doesn’t stay over the top in the white flower range, but it keeps a very heady feel all the way through, but not obnoxiously so.  There is just the lightest touch of skank in the drydown that unfurls slowly and adds a whole new dimension to white floral and then it brings in an incensy feel too.  Again, restrained, just like the big white florals in this scent.  It takes a pretty neat trick to make a big white floral skank monster that is all those things, but restrained so it is none of those things in the way I usually think of them. The scent was inspired by Kurkdjian’s trip to Lebanon.

APOM Pour Homme has notes of Orange Flower, Cedar wood, and Amber.  There are similarities between the two, but the Homme deepens with the amber and has much more emphasis on the woody notes.  If a guy found the Lumiere Noire Pour Homme just a little too ambiguous to wear, I think the APOM would be a perfect fit.  It has a restrained, warmed-up elegance.  Not to worry, the skank note isn’t in this, it’s got much more of a cuddly guy vibe radiating off of it.

On the APOMs, how unisex are they?  Honestly, I see no reason why guys can’t wear the femme and girls can’t wear the homme.  Gender transfer as you will.

Okay, last drawing for another set of MFK set, so just drop a short comment if you want to be entered. for those of you that were at Sniffa and smelled them, if you’d like to talk about them a little and give your favorite, that would be lovely.  I’ll announce the last two winners in next Tuesday’s post.