My experience with Francis Kurkdjian has not been a good one. My first foray into this whole perfumista thing was when I heard rumors that Davidoff's
Zino -- which I had worn monogamously for 20 years -- was being discontinued, in 2009. I started researching replacements. I came across Davidoff's
Silver Shadow, which sounded like a reasonable facsimile. Boy, was I wrong. Instead, Silver Shadow proved a dud. The biggest problem for me is/was that it is extremely powdery. Disappointed, I researched further, discovered this whole goddamned world, and here I am today, with a collection of well over 250 bottles.
Every since the Silver Shadow fiasco, I have not trusted Francis Kurkdjian one single bit. Nearly every scent created by him that I've tried has also contained this annoying powderiness. Granted, I have not tried everything he has done. It's just not me, I guess.
In 2010, a year after Maison Francis Kurkdjian was established, he came out with
Absolue pour le Soir. I recall being impressed by its skank, in contrast to others I had tried in the line. I had a sample sitting around for years, but never thought about getting a full bottle.
If you've been following me this year, you see that I have been on a honey hunt, and, well, Absolue pour le Soir has a strong honey note, hence its skank. I heard rumors of the perfume's demise, and thought I should probably get a bottle, which I did.
As you'd expect, this is
very sweet. I don't get the skank I recall from when it first came out. It also is every bit as powdery as every other Kurkdjian I have ever tried. My original sample, which is "vintage", as the boys on Basenotes like to say, smells the same, so there are not any reformulation issues that I know of. I do like it, but am again put off by its powderiness. Truth be told, I was aware of its powderiness prior to purchase. I probably should be wearing this in colder weather anyway. It's probably the only Francis Kurkdjian I'll ever shell out for.
