Maison Francis Kurkdjian - Absolue Pour le Soir

Dirty Dirty Rich

Some perfumes are demure, innocent and cheerful  - and then there's Absolue Pour le Soir. This is pure sex. Francis Kurkdjian has created a perfume that I wouldn't even consider for my young niece and I'd be embarrassed to wear in front of my mother. But, oh baby.

Absolue Pour le Soir is the dirtiest thing I've smelled in a long time. It's gorgeously filthy. It's interesting too. It has a sort of backwards progression that keeps you guessing all day as you take furtive sniffs of your illicit smelling wrists. It starts off with a brief fruity twist of candied orange peel and a bang of smoke and amber. The smoke is thick - was there a fire in here? The amber is pure sex, like the amber in Serge Lutens Ambre Sultan. In fact, every note that could conjure up the illusion of animalic relations has been used: sweaty cumin, sticky, slightly urinous honey, and civet, tons of civet, that ultra-sexy bottom note.

Gradually a cool, creamy floral, like soapy rose and ylang ylang pudding, becomes noticeable underneath the smoky amber. The sensation is like burying your nose in warm fur and coming across a hidden vein of cold cream. Incense smoke and honey continue to swirl around the cooler notes and a lovely sandalwood becomes more noticeable in the later hours.

Wearing Absolue Pour le Soir is like waking up in bed the morning after, in tangled and fragrant silk sheets, and having your naughty escapades from the night before return to you gradually in blurred images.

House: Maison Francis Kurkdjian
Nose: Francis Kurkdjian
Notes: Benzoin from Syam - Rose honey - Incense Absolute - Ylang Ylang - Cumin - Atlas Cedar and Sandalwood

(Apologies to Lady Gaga for the unauthorized use of your image. I'm a big fan. Don't sue me.)