Buying fragrance as a gift is always a gamble, even when the recipient is a scent obsessive. Last Christmas, utterly out of ideas, I caved and ordered Maison Francis Kurkdijan Grand Soir Eau de Parfum. Maison Francis Kurkdijan is a fragrance house known for refinement, polish and a slightly intimidating price tag. I hadn’t smelt it, which is generally fragrance suicide, but every review I read seemed to suggest it was “what a rich man smells like”. And frankly, who doesn’t want their partner radiating wealth?
Key Notes
Top Notes: Spanish Labdanum, Orange
Heart Notes: Lavender, Siam Benzoin
Base Notes: Amber, Vanilla, Tonka Bean, Musk, Cedar
My Thoughts
Happily, my risk paid off. Maison Francis Kurkdijan Grand Soir is exactly as it sounds. It’s a scent that feels like a late dinner booking, velvet jacket slung over the chair, amber cocktails glowing in cut crystal glass. It’s resinous and honeyed, with cinnamon leaf, lavender and labdanum lending a gently spiced smokiness before amber and vanilla sweep in, enveloping warmth. It clings, but never cloys.
Though positioned as ambery, this doesn’t sit heavily in the cliché. It’s smoother, more sophisticated, with a wearability that works as well on a scruffy Sunday as it does with black tie.
The packaging is first class, the sprayer on the bottle delivers the finest mist he’s ever experienced from a fragrance and yes, you can still smell it on the chest of your favourite Marcella dinner shirt, the next morning. It’s got it all, including the name which is about the most apt name for a fragrance there ever was.
While I don’t always recommend shopping for fragrances blind, it does just go to show that sometimes a blind buy can be a winner, and in this case, it paid off.
Projection
The projection is just right. It’s enough for people to notice, but never so loud it shouts across the table.
Longevity
The longevity is excellent too; you’ll still smell it faintly on your scarf or shirt the next day.
When I would wear it
My partner describes it as a night out fragrance. It commands black tie and a tuxedo yet also compliments a scruffy Sunday. It radiates warmth and invites closer attention. It positively glows and sits perfectly as a Fall/Winter scent but works all year round.
