Perfumer Francis Kurkdjian was born in Paris in 1969. From the tender age of 13 he knew that he wanted to develop and create fragrances. Francis shot to fame in the perfume industry at the age of 25 when he developed Le Male for John Paul Gaultier, one of the most successful worldwide fragrances to date.  Francis Kurkdjian has had a string of successes in the industry creating scents for Aqua Di Parma, Christian Dior  and Giorgio Armani to name just a few. In 2009 Francis Kurkdjian launched his own line of fragrances along with a very select range of luxury lifestyle goods; candles, washing liquids for clothes and the likes.

We’ve rifled through the Francis Kurkdjian collection and couldn’t help but share the elements to look out for.
Aqua Universalis – 70ml/£89.00
Aqua Universalis is a fragrance for “everything, everyone, and all days.” The name is Latin for “Universal Water,” and the scent does what it says on the bottle. Francis Kurkdjian calls it the missing link between skin, clothes, bed linens, and the air, and he’s spot on. This light, sparkling eau de toilette could be spritzed by anyone, anywhere, anytime – but you’ll probably want to save it for your skin. The notes begin with a strong unisex fragrance of bergamot and lemon from Sicily. When you first apply the fragrance, it’s almost masculine – certainly unisex. It starts to dry down quickly, though, and as it does, the lily of the valley and sweet mock orange white flower bouquet take over. The fragrance is sheer perfection with light and musky woods. Perfect for a summers day to freshen up in a very luxurious manner.

Absolue Pour Le Matin – 70ml/£120.00

Absolue Pour Le Matin is a fragrance for men and women introduced in 2009 by Maison Francis Kurkdjian used alongside Cologne Pour Le Soir.  Pour le Matin is the scent of a summer morning, which contains notes of bergamot, Sicilian lemon, Moroccan white thyme, Tunisian neroli, iris, amber and violet. Again very easy to wear throughout the whole day, just spritz away!

Absolue Pour Le Soir – 70ml/£120.00
While retaining the Cologne’s core accord, Francis Kurkdjian has added a distinctly animalic whiff of cumin and smoky sandalwood; Atlas cedar wood lends its rich, leathery tinge; ylang-ylang fleshes out the floral heart. This is certainly a fragrance for a night on the town. It conjures up images of smokey Turkish bizarres and old worn leather armchairs. Go easy with this one, too much and it could be very overpowering.

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