Maison Francis Kurkdjian Paris | The Scented Hound

February 8, 2016
by The Scented Hound 8 Comments

A Perfume Made for Valentine’s Day: Baccarat Rouge 540 by Maison Francis Kurkdjian

WHAT I SMELL: Baccarat Rouge 540 opens with a striking warm and luxurious jasmine that feels soaked and saturated with saffron. It’s heady, exotic, spicy and mysterious. It’s also incredibly sexy and erotic. There’s a very slight incense and smoke that feels like an extinguished candle that moves off the skin. And the perfume itself seems to live a couple of inches off of the body. After some time, a woody base which was there all along, comes more to the forefront, with the radiant jasmine and saffron still pulsating. As the perfume continues to develop, the perfume becomes more of an ambered spice. In the end, the fragrance evens itself out and your left with a nicely spiced and lightly sweetened cedar and amber perfume that lingers with the memory of the passionate flame that burned when the perfume first hit the skin.

From the Maison Francis Kurkdjian website:

Luminous and sophisticated, Baccarat Rouge 540 lays on the skin like an amber, floral and woody breeze. A poetic alchemy. A graphic and highly condensed signature.

Notes: Jasmine, Saffron, Cedar wood, Ambergris

Marilyn Red Velvet, 1949

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A sexy and erotic boudoir scent.

THREE WORDS THAT DESCRIBE BACCARAT ROUGE 540: lustful, erotic, sexy

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT BACCARAT ROUGE 540: No reviews to be found outside comments on Fragrantica.

BOTTOM LINE: Baccarat Rouge 540 is a collaboration between Maison Francis Kurkdjian and Baccarat, to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the iconic crystal house. As such, I was expecting a big, bold and proper perfume. Instead, I found the perfume to be highly sensual, and erotic…which makes this the perfect perfume to tempt your Valentine with.

Bone Rating: 4 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Oriental Floral
Nose: Francis Kurkdjian
Classification: Unisex
Expense: $300 for 70 ml Eau de Parfum

Sample courtesy of Twisted Lily Fragrance Boutique and Apothecary

November 4, 2015
by The Scented Hound 4 Comments

À la rose by Maison Francis Kurkdjian

WHAT I SMELL: À la rose has a sparkling opening with clean and bright citrus mixed with violet and the freshness of green. I love the fact that the opening is incredibly cheerful with an unassuming easiness about it. In addition, there’s a nice light powder that dusts the perfume; and strange as it seems, the perfume is both cool and warm at the same time. The rose in the perfume starts to come forward, but in a tender and soft way without any harsh turns or nuances. There’s a bit of a “bathtastic” aspect to the perfume, but not so much that it feels like soap. Overall, the perfume doesn’t transform all that much, but instead maintains this soft, clean floral warmth that is close to the skin and incredibly inviting.

From the Maison Francis Kurkdjian website:

Damascena rose from Bulgaria – bergamot from Calabria – orange from California – violet – magnolia blossom – cedar wood – musk – centifolia rose from Grasse

À la rose is an ode to femininity, a declaration of love captured in a fragrance. Two hundred and fifty precious roses from Grasse offer their radiance and their unmatched richness in every flacon.

WHAT IT SMELLS LIKE TO ME: A Victorian woman sitting at her dressing table getting ready for the beautiful spring day ahead.

THREE ADJECTIVES THAT DESCRIBE À LA ROSE: pretty, proper, soft

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT À LA ROSE: Kafkaesque, Colognoisseur, The Women’s Room

BOTTOM LINE: À la rose is not an earth shattering perfume. What it is though, is a lovely, soft and thoughtful rose beauty.

Bone Rating: 4 out of possible 5 bones
Scent: Floral
Classification: Feminine
Expense: $245 for 2.5 oz. eau de parfum

Sample courtesy of Arielle Shoshana.

October 7, 2015
by The Scented Hound 6 Comments

New Release: Aqua Vitae Forte by Maison Francis Kurkdjian

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