Absolue Pour le Soir Maison Francis Kurkdjian for women and men

Tried it today and this is truly unique and does not resemble any of my other fragrances. Prior to reading the other reviews my guess was smoky incense with a subtle sweetness lingering in there like dark caramel. I think the churchy incense flavor we get from this is frankincense. Quite lovely and and I'll try again and wear it for a while before I decide to take the plunge. Certainly got my attention. JG 042112

I love Opium, not at all intimidated by strong perfumes but......something about this is just off. Is it cumin? cedar? benzoin? I don't know but the dry down just isn't pleasant. Must be for a man? It is like someone singing off key! Not in tune. What can I say?

When this hits you, it really hits you: Powerful, animalic, dark, sensual - this is quite a fragrance. And it lasts all day - and I do mean all day. I wouldn't be surprised if someone woke up with this smell still on them. I don't want to be too censorious here, but this might be too strong for some people, perhaps too overpowering. The benzoin and frankincense (?) stand out for me above all the other notes people are mentioning, and they die down a bit after the initial, incredibly strong top notes. A bit much at first, but that is just the type of fragrance this is, if you can handle it.

A weird cross between so many different fragrances. The notes of this jump out and are easily identified- a procession of rose, incense, honey, spiciness and amber, but it is always balanced. The honey/cumin aspect give it a slight reminiscence of curry and piss but it's suitably balanced with the more pleasant aspects; there is also in the drydown a muskiness that reminds me of the dirty fragrances like Ciel and Musc Kublai Khan: so while the overall feel is perplexing and lovely, there is a lot in here that could make you go 'ew' if you react to particular notes. I would enjoy wearing this, but know too heavy identification of the notes would take my brain to places I wouldn't particularly want it to go- best to enjoy the soft, warm complexity than get too analytical. The more 'unpleasant' aspects increase as the perfume dries down, so absolutely not one to be bought upon a casual aquaintance with the top notes.

Smells like a dirty bee that bathed in benzoin. Nothing to write home about.

I just want to say, I love the "Reminds me of" feature. Not only do you get to leave a personal review, but you are also able to give a visual of what fragrances you feel are similar. In the case of Pour Le Soir, a memory of Lord's Jester Daphne was triggered. This is liquid incense in a nutshell, but far too complex to be summarized. In the opening, you get the effect of incense when it is first lit, minus the elements of fire and smoke. Ironically Perfume means "through smoke." More so the latin translation "perfumum." It took a little longer than average to find my way to the base notes being that this perfume is extremely potent. For those of you who thought Clinique Aromatics Elixir and Opium for Women were strong, experience this and your opinion may be subject to change. After time the smoke begins to clear and honey is revealed, but it is not alone. The rose seems to be blossoming nearby, but overpowered by everything else. The Ylang Ylang is always present, yet doesn't deliver it's full essence in the end. I suppose that part of the incense burned out. What remains? Earthy-balmy sandalwood, whispers of cedar and a little honey to smooth it all over. The dry down is somewhat the eye of the storm. Pour Le Soir starts out vivid and concludes in a state of warmth and tranquility.

very interesting!!
benjoin,animalic bee notes almost fecal and rose
intriguing deep liqueur
but also a little smoking scent.
certainly for cool weather.
dirty and sensual like musks!

it seems the right version of m/m ink byredo.

update on the skin:it seems that my skin enhances the smoky fecal notes so
this scents became on me the closer odor to the cigar tobacco just fermented.

First impression: dirty, disgusting honey. Thumbs down! Excellent lasting power.

ETA: dry down is gorgeous! Thumbs up!

ETA: I've bought a bottle. This works on fabric better than on my skin.

Oh my, I went to the supermarket 3 hours after using 4 sprays of this stuff. The cashier (first time I see this guy), standing at a 1m distance, told me while scanning my purchases: 'Gentleman the one. I have the same cologne'. me: 'Sorry, this was a gift. Did I spray too much? I can't smell it myself now.' he: 'No, it's strong but it's a good scent.'

ETA: I'm sorry to edit this review so often, but Absolue Pour le Soir is just so complex and multi faceted. After a shower, it now smells identical to ... Tam Dao. APLS just keeps fascinating me!

ETA: When I smell honey (or sometimes pee), other people say I smell like church. I ask 'incense?' they answer 'no, church.' My conclusion now after trying this scent a few days is that it will never become a best seller, because the notes blend on a very strange way. I think Kurkdjian did a honest job, but too complicate. Sort of intellectual mast*rb*tion... It took me a few days to understand Shalimar, and now it's my favorite scent. But this fragrance, Absolue pour le Soir, I can't define it, and so I can't love it. :( Thumbs up for the high concentration and lasting power. I hope I will learn to appreciate it more because the bottle was expensive.

Rich and deep oriental with a strong bezoin/incense note. High quality perfume, but too masculine for me. Also it reminds me too much of the incense used in churches.

Very, VERY sexy - just enough animalic skank tempered with sweaty honey sweetness. The composition is simple, but very effective, the benzoin and floral elements give it gentle refinement but the cumin, honey and cedar combination remains very noticeable and radiates a deep carnal heat. I could swear there's a bit of civet in here too.

This is one of the few fragrances I now have that's strictly reserved for intimate encounters or contemplative evenings with cognac and sumptuous nibbles - it would feel out of place otherwise.

The depth, longevity and sillage make it well worth the price - I absolutely love it!

As Absolue Pour Le Soir touched my skin I immediately had a feeling of deja-vu. Something familiar but at the same time pleasing and intriguing. It took me a few more minutes to realize that the skanky/animalic opening of this composition bought to my mind of a sort of mash-up between Musc Ravageur and Muscs Koublai Khan. Don't get me wrong, Absolue Pour Le Soir is not similar to either of the afore mentioned fragrances but it surely shares with them the dirty-sexy vibe. It opens with a strong animalic note enriched by benzoin and cedarwood but where Musc Ravageur introduces lavender and turns really soon into a gourmandic spicy vanilla and Muscs Koublai Khan settles into a "cleaner" musky rose, this one stays pretty dark and mantains the intitial skunky vibe throughout. Honeyed rose and smoky frankincense make their appearance in the middle phase adding extra boldness and a dense syrupy aspect.

Overall I'd say that APLS represents a step forward among dark muscs and brings this kind of fragrances to a brand new level where the challenging animalic nuances are enriched by incredible refinements and details. Not for everybody, but if you think MKK is too challenging/rough and Musc Ravageur turns too soon into a gourmandic vanilla, Absolue Pour Le Soir could be a valid option. Personally I rank it among my favorite compositions in its genre.

Rating: 9/10

I got a sample of that perfume from someone.I told that it is an evening perfume, which is my "cup of tea". It is dark , kind of oily perfume with note of pepper,something mediciny, and something neausatic.I am not in awe of that smell, I wouldn't even buy it on clearance.

Absolue pour le Soir contains notes that for me guarantee a fragrance that I knew I would enjoy wearing before I even sniffed it- honey, incense, rose, sandalwood.

It was the first fragrance from this house I tied and I was not disappointed- it's sweet and dark and smoky. It makes me think of a vibrant cities, night life, clubs, fancy dress, life pulsing on the busy streets.

I enjoy it, since it satisfies both my sweet tooth and the occasional need of refinement and elegance when I go out. I enjoy the deep, dark incense and the sweet notes of honey combined together, and the warm woody notes.

Better for a man I think! Deep, resinous and woody with a hint of spice..no flowers on my skin. Strong with a subtle powder; the cumin is not at all dirty..that said, decidedly masculine.

Sweet, cloying with loads of buttery ylang ylang and extremely thick sandalwoood followed by more sweetness of honey and resins. On my skin there is no flowers, no incense, just this sweet, cloying mess which is totally not working on my skin. It's simply too much.

I enjoyed sampling this, but it is more clearly for the gents. So I made my boyfriend wear it as well to get a comparision.

On him I got more of the cedar/carroway, and on myself the softer florals. Even on me, however, the cedar stands out. This is a dry wood, and as typical for this line is clean and crisp.

FK markets this as a 'night on the town', but I would add that the night would include a trip to a steakhouse followed by a high end club. This is a bit 'ritzy' for casual wear.

A good fragrance, but I prefer the more delicate le Matin.

I got this as a sample from Lucky Scent. When I first tried it I thought, hmmm, this smells so familiar,what is this? Within a few seconds I had it! It smells exactly like a jumbo delicious green olive in oil and brine straight from my grocery deli. I love to eat these olives so I have my stock in my fridge. The aroma is one that I never considered wearing as a fragrance but perhaps some might like it. Certainly it is worth sampling.