WHAT I SMELL: Aqua Vitae Forte opens softly with a beautiful sugar kissed bergamot and citrus.  It’s light and ethereal, romantic and pretty as well as comfortably warm and lightly powdered. Blended seamlessly, the notes are very hard to distinguish except for a floral finish on a bed of beautiful sandalwood which also provides for a slightly soured bitterness, which does not detract from the perfume’s beauty.  After quite some time, Aqua Vitae Forte begins to grow ever so quietly and a slight celery like accord and hints of spice come forward giving the perfume this floral and vegetal presence.  The perfume is slow to develop and it transforms like a dreamlike cloud passing oh so slowly to reveal the sun once the wisps of the clouds have passed.

From the Maison Francis Kurkdjian website:

Dive into the memory of a summer day when the sun’s rays brush against a tanned skin. Imagine the caress of a floral and woody breeze… Aqua Vitae forte forges this invisible bond between the freshness of the nights to come and the heat of the days gone by.

Olfactory Description:

Bergamot and lemon from Calabria – Cardamom from Guatemala – Cinnamon from Ceylon East Indian sandalwood – Mandarin from Sicily – Orange blossom from Tunisia – Pink Szechuan pepper – Vetiver from Haiti – Ylang ylang from Madagascar.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME:  There’s a delicateness to the perfume, that’s met with a strong foundation like a set of beautiful fine china.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE AQUA VITAE FORTE: subdued, enigmatic, restrained

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT AQUA VITAE FORTE: Colognoisseur, Fragrance Emergency

BOTTOM LINE:  Aqua Vitae Forte is like the second cousin of Puredistance WHITE, which I love.  Except this perfume is a bit lighter and ethereal, but equally as romantic and beautiful.

• Bone Rating:  4 out of possible 5 bones
• Scent:  Woody Spicy
• Noses:  Francis Kurkdjian
• Classification: Feminine
• Expense: $275 for 1.7 oz Eau de Parfum

Sample courtesy of Arielle Shoshona