Aqua Vitae Forte

-Pick Renaissance 1861 from Xerjoff. -Remove the zingy surprising fresh mint opening - Exchange for 2% of the absolutely sweet opening of Woman of Now from Elie Saab. -Remove the middle astringent elegant herbaceous masculine hints of it's short duration. - Pick that Xerjoff's Renaissance drydown base of light musky creamy overly intimate note -Replace with light sunny balmy woody sandalwood and beach yellow mellow flower vibes -Mix the result spreading it all over your body, everything at the same time. That's it. It's "Forte" but projection is at maximum 10cm from skin. It's a scent for a night out by yourself or together with anybody. It asks for some little sweat. Like a brisk walk sweat or Hmm..Is going to rain. It's been hot all day! vibe. The perfume makes beer and booze to taste better. (! Not obviously drinking it, but you will find whatever you're drinking much better while using this perfume.) It invites you to be in the hot air of a summer night or waking up with the sun on your face at the beach after sleeping in some puff at the sand with candles around and nice decorations and company. It's too elegant to be an after/during sex scent, but there is a very nice sexiness on it. Maybe a kissing and touching sexiness. Sexy with elegance and maturity. Not desperation. A toothpastey vibe appears in the middle around 2h after applying. Same happened with Xerjoff Renaissance to me. My skin at the wrist tends to make all more ozonic while sholder, chest, neck more dry and salty. It's toothpastey in all places mentioned. A toothpaste very expensive and used by a really wealthy elegant (not snob!) sexy mouth that might be in a hurry and will arrive a bit late for it's agenda of the day but it doesn't care. It will smile a big smile and say cheekly joking and apologizing later, that is chic to get a little bit late. And everyone will agree mesmerized by it's aura. I would buy a full bottle but you need to buy two of it if you want some projection. Definitely a beautiful scent for anyone who wants some sparkling light elegance to it's hot days and nights.

Really very special - as opulent and multi-layered as any of the other offerings from MFK (king of the ultra-rich sweet and woody barnstormer) - but with a sharp spank of citrus and flowers that blossoms into the essence of summer. Smells like a sunlit morning walk through the most beautiful seaside garden, which has a mini citrus orchard of its own; I don't mean that it's "aquatic" smelling, but that it has an amazing mix of outdoor freshness with luxuriant sweetness. The ylang is *very* prominent on me, so steer clear if that note turns you off - try Aqua Universalis instead if you want something more purely citrus - yet it's cushioned in well enough not to get overpowering. This one also has hidden depths; the spice is very definitely in there too, somehow not warming the mix up, but giving a deeper, shadier crook of nuance to things as well (in some whiffs it gets so spicy I thought 'cumin' but relax - there is none - it must have been a vetiver aura.) The sweetness and floral edge make it lean feminine but I think any male wearer who loved this enough could carry it off. Longevity is not quite up to the astonishing stamina of Aqua Universalis Forte, but it's still leagues ahead of most things in the summer-citrus category - easily still pumping away up to 6h after first application on me, which is amazing for a freshie. What more can be said? It's just beautiful. Further proof this is a house that justifies the hype, and goes a long way towards justifying the (frankly scary) price as well.

The original 'Aqua Vitae' was inspired to create a scent which evoked a "celebration of life" as well as a "feeling of the first time" according to its creator, Francis Kurkdjian. If 'Aqua Vitae' is a playful day at the beach, 'Aqua Vitae forte' is a carnal romp in the sand at sunset. Kurkdjian has definitely turned up the heat and sex appeal with this second outing. The result is a sensual and more seductive fragrance, a so called "fragrance of desire". Calabrian citrus notes of bergamot and lemon join forces with sweet Sicilian mandarin to open the fragrance with a hesperidic accord. This lively citrus blending is matched by a trio of warm and piquant spices. Guatemalan cardamom, Ceylon cinnamon, and Szechuan pepper render a spicy dynamic which feels rushing to the senses and quickens the pulse. The opening is truly intoxicating and reminiscent of the invigorating effect of summer's warm sunlight hitting the skin. A permeating floral heart composed of Madagascar ylang-ylang and Tunisian orange blossom eventually bursts forth. It is a heady, narcotic, and sweetly floral arrangement, taking its wearer to distant exotic locales. The floral heart seems to last the longest in the evolution of the fragrance's dry down, providing with it an alluring and sultry charm. Slowly the warm woody nuances of Haitian vetiver and East Indian sandalwood are revealed in the base. Overall the effect is irresistible. Read my complete and in-depth review at my personal blog:

This is a silent killer. Now that my taste is come so far to appreciate the soft fragrances more, I am totally in love with Aqua Vitae Forte AVF. >Description: -This is perfect for spring. -This is a niche light musky, flowery, spicy, sweet, scent that can be rocked by any age. It can be dressed up or just for casual wear. It is like a musk scent or a light creamy sandalwood added spices. The main spice here is cardamom sweetened with cinnamon. You can smell the sweetness but you can't get the cinnamon unless you know what you are looking for it. I get some faint cumin scent in the background. -Middle: As this scent progress, ylang flower gets more to the front while the spices keep the scent in the realm of masculinity. -Dry down: it get a bit dark.. it start to smell like sweet licorice. I love this part even more. >Performance: This is light and semi-transparent and hence the name aqua. It diffuses nicely without hitting people in the face. It got some sharpness to it. it lasts a good 8 hours and longer if you spray on clothes. >Compliments: -It s pleasant and non-offending. HOWEVER it got a sharpness and sweetness that can get on the nerve of women if over-sprayed or in high heat. -Less is more with this scent and not something for close encounters. -You wear this to have something special. You want most compliments, stick to Sauvage or Bleu.

My friend, a fellow fan of fragrances, described this as her preferred "brunch scent". I get that. Aqua Vitae Forte is strong but light, casual but elegant. I fell in love instantly. Upon first spray, I get a super creamy ylang-sandalwood combo. Normally this would be a bit cloying, but the lemon-orange blossom is key here: it opens up the sweet vanillic floralcy of the ylang-ylang and sandalwood and creates a sheer, luminous halo that is anything but heavy. The cinnamon and cardamom are there, but only as background tones, adding the slightest bit of spice to the joyful heart of this fragrance. Honestly, this could work in warm weather or cold, but blooms better under sunlight and sweat. Deliciously unisex with stellar performance. Thank you, Francis! Edit: I was reading other reviews, and I realized that I forgot to talk about the boozy note. Other reviewers have mentioned a gin/vodka note. I also detect that, but for me it always fades pretty quickly. There is an effervescent gin note there, but the florals and woods subsume it pretty quickly. I certainly wouldn't describe AVF as a boozy scent! But I suppose this does help with the "brunch" qualification, haha.