Absolue Pour Le Soir 2024

I am convinced that Francis Kurkdjian cannot do a fragrance that is dark, brooding, foreboding, deep, seductive and sultry, or any other descriptors on that side of the spectrum without making it sweet. A close friend or relative should coyly check-in on him to make sure he isn't type 2 diabetic; the man loves his sugar. Let's tackle the second elephant in the room, while we're at it: the huge number of people who report this fragrance smelling like piss. One, it doesn't smell urinous; if you think it does, take a whiff of actual urine sometime to find out you're wrong. Two, the opening does have a very similar accord to an odor-cancelling chemical found frequently in bathroom urinal cakes - the long-lasting cleaning and deodorizing material. This accord is very brief, and much less harsh and synthetic in the perfume than in the actual deodorizing material. It's a sweet fruity accord of ylang-ylang given a heaping dose of animalic musks, and accented by some sweaty and humid cumin that becomes more apparent after the first dry-down. This oddball and defiant combination is going to be love or hate, but even when it's love it's going to be love at a distance. The opening certainly catches your attention, and it will push away many, but it will reward those who stick around. Once the musks and ylang-ylang dispense, the cumin remains and becomes a soft and silky aromatic nestled on a bed of floral honeys and ambers. This is where Absolue shines. If you fall on the 'love side' of this fragrance, you are going to be thought-provokingly and addictively seduced. If you are on the side of retreat, it will be because the mixture of cumin and honeyed ambers creates an uncomfortable 'afterglow' - and I say that word because, honestly, the best way I can describe this is like the feeling of superb awkwardness you would get having accidentally stumbled into a bedroom containing a post-coital couple that got really raunchy and really dirty, and you get a big whiff of their previous activities. This perfume is so wickedly raunchy, the sinful and sultry side-smile and eye-glint of a ruleless dominatrix, you almost have to laugh at what feels like slapstick or pantomime. For me, I'm on the side of love without a doubt; the quiet inner feelings of awkwardness, guilt, and shame this creates has a tantalizing effect on me, not a call to retreat. After the orgy has ended and everyone has gone to bed, the powdery, honeyed ambers remain to nestle you like your favorite warm blanket. It is at the point you encounter what is, in my opinion, this perfume's only drawback: the final skin scent is almost sickeningly sweet (again, FK loves his sugar). This perfume proves that Captain Kurk is indeed a master perfumer; anyone bold enough and capable enough of creating a perfume that can have such deeply polarizing and emotional effects has to be a master. It also proves that Captain Kurk's moments of brilliant creativity, when left solely to his own direction and devices, are far too few and fleeting. None of the other perfumes he's created for his own house come anywhere close to being as good as Absolue Pour le Soir. Perhaps that is one reason why it's so striking.

The XXL match that ignites the flesh. This is a sultry fragrance that makes no apologies and Francis Kurkdjian's most polarizing scent. A thick oriental amber, the antithesis of Grand Soir. The execution is masterful. I'll quickly skim the notes of this fragrance, as it would be an insult to try to form an image of it simply by reading them: Top trio of cumin, honey, and amber, complemented by rose, cistus, and vanilla. The structure is simple, and the ingredients are perfectly identifiable in a meticulously crafted blend. This is what Francis Kurkdjan's art yields at its best when he is truly himself, free to express himself without commercial constraints, with all the audacity he possesses on all-too-rare occasions. Subscribers to the MFK fragrance collection will be very surprised by the uncompromising artistic vision expressed in this creation, which was launched in 2010 and was already considered at the time to be an anomaly bordering on the experimental. This fragrance is reminiscent in its opening of Under My Skin by Francesca Bianchi, released seven years later, but Absolue reveals itself to be far more refined, more biting, sharper, and ultimately more sophisticated. It is a magnificent, honeyed, animalic amber with dirty floral notes that evoke the deepest, most secret desires of human beings. A distant cousin of Absolue for the evening would be Musc Ravageur in its original version from 25 years ago, powerfully animalic. This fragrance is best worn at night only, as it is too extroverted for daytime wear in my opinion. The strong, spicy indole opening can actually suggest the smell of sweat in a poorly cleaned public restroom. What follows is a powerful, sensual evolution, offering a bouquet of pheromone-like scents reminiscent of skin warmed by love. Absolue is the XXL match that ignites the flesh for those who aren't afraid to take risks. This fragrance won't be worn by the masses, and that's not its purpose. However, if you want a decidedly intriguing and distinctive fragrance that will make people wonder where you're going, this is it. While Grand Soir is intended for more formal occasions like galas and social events, Absolue pour le Soir is much more suited to nights out and underground nights until dawn, like the dark and torrid side of the same coin. It's always a risk when a perfumer relaunches a discontinued creation, but this 2010 reissue is a true success in faithfully reviving the original version with a few subtle contemporary variations. For those who missed the original, MFK had the excellent idea of offering a "lower cost" catch-up session for an identical experience, especially considering that the first edition is being sold for around €800 on some enthusiast forums.

Just recieved this and immediately got the piss-y urine smell, which is quiet off-putting, *but* I'm going to be patient and wait out for the dry down to make a judgement on this one, as I have high hopes, I'll come back to this in a few hours with an update..... UPDATE: OK, now have been wearing this for a couple of days. I *still* smell that 'pissey' smell throughout the life of the fragrance, but it diminishes along with the fragrance till it's a skin scent and then I can barely smell it. The culprit for this is probably the Cumin. Even with the unpleasant smell throughout the duration of the frag, I have found myself addicted to it, which is extremely strange. The fragrance itself is terribly interesting, there is a bewildering simple complexity about it, one that begs me to go back for more. There is also a very filthy and sexual vibe to this fragrance, I smell mainly amber, mingling with said unpleasant smell, a little bit of vamilla hiding in there, and some honey. Worn alone, it's a masterpiece and yet I've managed to layer it with a couple of fragrances, mainly Mécanique Intuitive by Les Eaux Primordiales, and Enflammé by De Givenchy, which retains the fragrance's DNA but elevating it a bit, and taming that Cumin down a tiny winy bit. Longevity on this is a good 10-12 hours where it ends up being a skin scent. This does not project much, but it keeps its aura around you like a transparent bubble. Body heat and temperature changes that, and I stupidly discovered this in the gym, whereby I kept on smelling the cumin note and thinking 'oh please Lord don't let them think I need man nappies'!!! Versatility is tricky, because I've asked a couple of friends if they can smell the offensive note, and none could, except for me, but that made me all the more paranoid :) A masterpiece definitely worth checking out, and although I blind buy *all* my fragrances, I consider myself lucky with this one. In light of this, I do not recommend this as a blind buy, but I can assure you if you get around that note you will probably fall head over heels for it. I'm gonna stop my ramble and leave it at that, may all you lovely people enjoy and God bless :)

This is far closer to the original than I anticipated and certainly the best of the re-releases so far. I find it to be lacking a bit in the animalic facets of the original but nobody should consider paying the price for the old APLS now that this is released. I do notice some minor difference but it’s about 95% similar to the vintage versions. Save yourself some money and pick up the new version. It’s almost identical and costs very little compared to the price people are paying for the old one. In honesty is the vintage better, yes. That said, I don’t think it’s worth the cost with this available now... Highly recommend this if you love the original honeyed/cumin/amber of the vintage formula. Now if they would just release a 100% recreation of Lumiere Noire Pour Homme. That is and will probably always be my favorite MFK creation of all time. Down to about 10-12ml and praying they re-release that next! The reviews here are about this being a cash grab but in reality they’re offering to save everyone money and give us access to this scent again. It’s really close to the original unlike APOM (combining the Homme and femme didn’t work imo) and Reflets D’Ambre (ciel de gum). EDIT 11/11/24 - Those who are saying it’s completely different may want to give it time to macerate. Comparing decades old juice that’s macerated for ages vs brand new is rarely going to be accurate. Scents do change over time, it’s a scientific fact if high amounts of naturals are used. I still say it’s about 92-95% similar after more wearings. In my fragrance making I’ve had scents made at exactly the same amounts down to .0001g and they smell different at different stages of maceration...

Let me try to shine some light on why some may consider this a cash grab. For me personally it is not simply because of the high price itself, but rather that its new pricing seems influenced by the exorbitant prices sellers are asking for APLS on the secondhand market. Compare: Absolue pour le soir (edp) 70 ml | 2013: 115 EUR | 2024: 310 EUR (based on Selfridges preorder) | 169.6% up* Oud (edp) 70 ml | 2013: 195 EUR | 2024: 235 EUR | 20.5% up Oud silk mood (extrait) 70 ml | 2013: 275 EUR | 2024: 335 EUR | 21.8% up However, I do agree with those commenting that people should not hate vote on a perfume’s scent and performance without having actually tried it out. I myself am still curious to smell how the reformulated perfume compares to the original. EDITED TO ADD 24/10/2024: *To put things a bit more into perspective: the price in EUR indicated on the Selfridges website appears to be including duties and taxes. It is more likely that the actual price will lie somewhere between 230 EUR (250 USD) and 275 EUR (230 GBP). This would still constitute an increase between 100% and 139.1%, some of which may be accounted for by costs incurred by the reformulation process. However, one may question if those costs justify a percentage increase of five times more than its counterparts. Arguably, the ingredient costs seem higher for both other fragrances if assuming the usage of real oud. Why the USD and GBP prices vary so wildly is beyond me. Anyone a guess?