Maison Francis Kurkdjian - Féminin Pluriel

Picture: Portrait of a young lady with a white veil,
oil on painting, unknown french painter ca 1800

Féminin Pluriel is the feminie part of the Pluriel compositions of Maison Francis Kurkdjian, with Francis himself as the nose. The masculine Pluriel will be reviewed in a coming post.

Féminin Pluriel starts with a bright, clean iris where the carrot is present but very well balanced, it never reaches the deep, rough, earthy territories like for example Serge Lutens Iris Silver Mist. Soon bright and almost sparkling violets and roses apperars, I imagine the roses as elegant creme colored ones and the violets in a pale violet nuance. Further in the dry down the flowers mingels in a beautiful, bright and uplifting boquet, subtle, trasparent and very elegant like a creme colored silk chiffon scarf flapping in the wind or the veil of a bride.There is something the overall impression that reminds me of two Jean Patou fragrances: EnJOy and Un Amour de Patou, mostly of the latter. From EnJoy there is something similar from the basic structure, a contemporary chypre with a patchouli-vetiver base. EnJoy is rougher, louder and have some frutiy  notes (which mixed together reminds) me of pineapple, these notes are not present in Le Pluriel. The flowery light rosy bouquet is in the same style as in Un Amour de Patou, even if not smelling the same, they mediates a similar impression. A note that is distinguishable when  I'm wearing Pluriel is the Lily-of-the-Valley, the spontaneus reaction from the kids are "Your smelling like grandma" and as Dior Diorissimo is my mothers it signaturefragrance there must be the LOTV. Even further in the dry down, a very light powdery impression with a glimpse of a soft lipstick note, apperars and when reaching the base, the vetiver steps forward making Pluriel a tad greener. The vetiver is dry and gentle and not of the rougher, masculine kind, the patchouli is in the clean, contemporary style, which is not dominating the base, just adding some slight earthy dept to it. There is also a balsamic quality in the texture, not the smell, of the base, despite all traces of balsams and resins are missing in the composition. This "balsamic"quality is also present but more pronounced, in another MFK favorite, APOM Pour Femme. There is also something common in style, not much in smell, with Jour d'Hermès but the latter is greener, harsher, sharper and more tangy in its scent.

Picture Féminin Pluriel
Photo: PR Maison Fracis Kurkdjian (c)

Féminin Pluriel is a very wearable fragance, both for business and for pleasure including occasions that deamnds an elegant outfit and fragrance. The sillage is medium and the longevity for a day, and when wearing Pluriel one could be sure it's attracting compliments. Pluriel is not as complicated as the earlier MFK fragrances so it will probably reach a greater audience than the more extreme ones.

I was very curious to compare Pluriel PF with an other great Francis Kurkdjian composition of 2014: My Burberry and thought there would be more similarities than it really is. Pluriel is very clean, innocent without any dirty notes, compared to My Burberrys urban garden and asphalt notes, Pluriel is an unspoiled country girl where My Burberry is the casual chic and though city girl. Taken as a whole My Burberry has more interesting twists with the contratsing flowery and urban notes but Pluriel is much more beautiful and elegant. Just as with My Burberry, I find Féminin Pluriel to be one of the best and most wearable fragrances of what I have smelled from the 2014 releases.

Rating: 5

Notes: Iris, violet, rose, jasmine, lily-of-the-valley, orange blossom, vetiver, patchouli leaf

Place des Lices - Fiordlatte

Picture: Summer Evening on the Souther Beach,
 oil on canvas by  Peder Severin Kröyer, 1893

Fiordlatte from Place de Lices starts a bit sharp with notes of green grass and some flowery notes. I bet I can smell a moderated galbanum, even if not mentioned in the notelist. When Fiordlatte settles a bit, a pleasant, soapy, glabanumlike, note appears. It’s similar to the “antique, bathroom, chalky” note that is also present, but more intense, in Vanille Tonka from Parfums de Nicolaï. This accord is fading, but not disappear completely, in a nice, a bit paper-dry in texture, white floral accord. Despite the “bathroom” vibe it’s not a watery floral of the kind that is en vouge by now for exemple Live in Love by Oscar de la Renta or Water Calligraphy from By Kilian. The white floral note feels more timeless and the dry white floral impression is more in the style of Un Amour de Patou by Jean Patou and Montale Crystal Flowers (even if rose centered) but subdued in comparasion.In the basenotes Fiordlatte becomes light musky and moistier. A slight sour note (in a positive way) which is present in many light rosefragrances becomes detectable and I think it’s the note of peony.

Fiordlatte is the perfect outdoor casualscent especially for spring and summer, preferably at sea as the dry white flowers will balance perfectly with the salty air by the seaside. Fiordlatte is also a nice casual or officescent when one has to be reminded of the lighter seasons of the year.

Rating: 3

Notes: Jasmine, cottonflower, peony, vanilla

Montale - Crystal Flowers

Bild: Bouquet de roses, Rosa sp. horticoles, marché aux fleurs, Place Monge, Paris

Foto: Jebulon, Wikipedia, (CC, some rights reserved)

Scroll down for an english version
Solsken, en lätt sommarbris och ljust rosa rosor i solskenet. Det är mitt sammanfattande intryck av Crystal Flowers en doft från Montales icke-oud linje (Edp-linjen).

• En öppning och toppnoter som påminner mycket om fina Un Amour de Patou.
• Sedan följer en linjär rosa rosenbukett på myskig bas.
• Jag känner inga gröna blad som man så ofta gör i ljusa rosendofter, det här handlar bara om själva rosen, blomman.
• Elegant och klassisk doft som gjord för sommaren.
• Känns inte särskilt unik då Crystal Flowers påminner om många andra högkvalitativa dofter i den ljusa rosengenren.

En mycket användbar sommardoft.

Sunshine, a light summer breeze and light pinkcoloured roses in the bright sunshine. That's my general impression of Montales Crystal Flowers a fragrance from the non-oud line (Edp-line).

*An opening and top notes, very similar to the fine pink-rosy Un Amour de Patou.
*Then follows a linear pink bouquet of roses on musk base.
*I do not recognize any green leaves, as so often is present in light rose scents, this is all about the rose flower.
*Elegant and classic scent perfect for summer.
*Does not feel particularly unique as Crystal Flowers is reminiscent of some other high-quality scents into the bright pink rose-genre.

A very versatile summer scent.

Rating: 3+

Notes: Rose, mandarine, lily of the valley, amber, musk