Lumiere Noir pour Homme by Maison Kurkdjian

The best way to describe Lumiere Noir pour Homme is with a story. In 1995 I went to Paris for the second time. After a few days enjoying the typical tourism venues, my friends and I spent a Saturday at the Puces de Saint-Ouen, a local and famed antiquities market in the north of the city. After some hours wandering around on my own I came across a small stall of perfume bottles and vanity items. Some of the flacons were full, others offered only ghosts of violets or aldehydes, but I recall that one small, empty, crystal bottle with a squeeze bulb atomizer offered an aroma that would never leave my memory. It was rose, but not quite the expected rose. It was dirty, but in a good way, stale but reminiscent of a homemade potpourri, and there seemed to be something akin to an Earl Grey tea note swirling at the top.

After inquiring in my “I’m American, please forgive my slaughtered French” accent as to what once inhabited the bottle, the older of two women explained that it once contained a fragrance created by her mother. “Roses,” she started, “et feuilles.” And that was all I managed to understand. That scent, like the memory of an unforgettable dream, became itself a ghost and would haunt me for more than a decade. Why oh why hadn’t I just purchased the little bottle? I’d tried over the years to discover an aroma that would mimic my Parisian olfactory specter, but to no avail…that is, until I finally saw the light.

Summary: One of 7 fragrances under the new Francis Kurkdjian label and created by the perfumer himself, Lumiere Noir (Black Light) pour Homme is a breathtaking men’s floral centered around rose and patchouli.

Pros: Different enough from all the other rose/patchouli themed scents to warrant purchase of a full bottle; lasts and lasts and lasts; reasonably priced for a niche fragrance; immediately elicited compliments, one of which went something like this…

Her: “Oh my…what are you wearing today?”
Him: “It’s called Lumiere Noir”
Her: “Very attractive…I think I might have to attack you right here on the sidewalk.”

Cons: A brand new scent from a brand new house makes this one difficult to find; there’s one odd note (mugwort?) that lingers at the beginning that has prompted a couple of reviewers to liken the effect to the aroma of a nail salon (and actually I can see that, although this only lasts for a few minutes in the opening).
 
Notes: “Spiced Rose (cumin, cinnamon), Patchouli, Narcissus, Mugwort herb.”
 
Reminds me of: The obvious answers are Jacques Fath pour Homme, Ungaro III, L’Artisan’s Voleur de Roses or Rosine’s Rose d’Homme or Une Folie de Rose, yet Lumiere Noir is distinctly different and rather simple in its artistry.

Designer’s Description: “A black hole lit with the image of a mysterious perfume that attracts until it provokes self-abandon. It is the idea of two opposing powers that unite to create a whole that relates, at its turn, a new story. The mention of this duality is imposed as an obvious fact, like the emblematic blend of Rose and Patchouli.”

 
Number of times tested: 3
 
Number of sprays applied for this review: 2 sprays on the back of hand from a sample sent to me by Maison Francis Kurkdjian.
 
Fragrance Strength: Eau de Toilette
 
Development: (Linear / Average / Complex): Despite incredible longevity, Lumiere Noir pour Homme doesn’t really “develop” as much as it “sparkles”. Think of the changing colors of the Aurora Borealis, the way the hues morph and glimmer.

Throughout the wearing I get different facets of the composition, and though I know the star of the show is rose, I never really feel like I’m wearing a “rose fragrance”.

Longevity: (Short / Average / Long-lasting): I once sprayed a sample 5 times onto my skin at 7am and found the scent still completely perceivable at 4pm that afternoon!

Sillage: (A Little / Average / A Lot): Enough that after using only 5 sprays from a sample, others detected the scent and offered their compliments.

Note About the Packaging: A rather simple, square, glass atomizer with silver squared cap. The name of the scent and designer are printed in bronze on the bottle and the atomizer is housed in a simple, white paper box.

Author: Marlen Harrison (perfumecritic)
Fragrantica Writer

Creator and Editor of PerfumeCritic.com, Marlen Harrison was also author of Basenotes.com's ADDICTED column and one of the community's moderators. Marlen has been a regular contributor to NowSmellThis blog, BeautyAddictMag, and The Washington Blade. He is currently completing his PhD in English Composition and TESOL and teaches at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.