Cologne Pour Le Soir Maison Francis Kurkdjian for women and men

Again like the Absolue version of this cologne, I am not a fan. Balmy, incense and beeswax is all I take away from this scent. Evokes an old monastery with smoking incense filled censers and multiple burning beeswax candles lit at the altar..

Francis Kurkdjian made Cologne pour le Soir and I drive a Mini Cooper.

Eau de Cologne works not just because of the combination of ingredients and how they smell. It has to do with how they work together and how the composition unfolds.  We tend to associate cologne with its characteristic smells: citrus (fruit, leaves, woods) herbs, florals, musk.  But I would argue, and so apparently would Francis Kurkdjian, based on his Cologne pour le Soir, that the defining attribute of eau de cologne is not its scent, but the character of its dynamic qualities over time.

We call cologne bracing and think that this quality is just a reflection of the sparkling scent of citrus.  The bracing trait really comes from the volatility of the components.  The top notes shine brightly but briefly.  “Bracing” comes not so much from the tenor of the citrus notes specifically, but the alacrity of the top notes overall. In ten minutes any cologne you've ever tried goes from a flare to a much quieter glow.  To mix my metaphors, cologne goes from shining brightly to a quiet whisper in a very short period of time. This is an attribute of all classic eaux de cologne.

Every Eau de Cologne that you've ever smelled smells largely like any other Eau de Cologne you've ever smelled. The composition can just as easily be considered a recipe as a formula.  It’s in the public domain, it’s apparently easy to make, and it can be made from what you’d more likely call ingredients than aromachemicals. 

Kurkdjian reinvents the Cologne by throwing away the recipe and looking more closely.   His Cologne du Soir is a cologne based by virtue of its dynamic qualities.  He reconstructs the eau de cologne not on hesperidic notes, but on benzoin and rose, notes you might expect to find weighing down the classic oriental.  Kurkdjian pares down rose and benzoin, making them lighter than air yet true to character. It’s a smart idea, and comes off beautifully.  As in the classic Eau, the topnotes have a half life measured in minutes, but they’re a blast.  Heartnotes unfold into basenotes, and what remains is a hint of a cumin-inflected incense with a rosy, musky skin glow.  And it just feels effortless.

So, I drive a Mini. What I love about my car is that it's perfectly balanced. Just like Cologne pour le Soir.  I can stop on the brakes, stand on the throttle, or crank the steering wheel without fear of overpowering the chassis.  It gives a beautiful combination of fun and expectability to driving.    Similarly, no note in Cologne pour le Soir overpowers the rest of the composition.  By focusing on the dynamics of the experience, Kurkdjian remains true to the sensibility of the Cologne, but gives us something new.  

I would wear this stuff night or day.

from scenthurdle

Sexy, warm, transparent scent that melds well with the skin and seems like a part of the wearer. Light spices, an initial furry beast in the beginning that reminds me of an orange tabby cat, and airy incense.

It's just a tiny bit too light for my tastes, but I have tried the Absolue and found it a little bit too much.

I wonder if an EDT would be perfect. Somehow I don't think the marketers would ever allow an EDT. The name: "Toilet Water for the Evening" just doesn't have much appeal, does it?

Amazing! Like many F. Kurkdjian's creations, it is very concise, so to speak. Few notes, but the right ones, in the right proportion, and straight to the point. This perfume is simple, but so beautiful, to the point of being aristocratic.

The longevity is amazing on me - 10+h on my skin and 24+h on my hair. And it is a cologne!

I can't stop sniffing myself. Soft, tender, powdery feel. I don't get much rose, the honey is very delicate and velvety, as is the incense. I think there is some iris, too.

I cannot even imagine what I would feel if I notice it on a man ;)

Addictive!

Finally got a sample of this, so interesting and an appealing scent,need to spend some more time with it but i really am enjoying this one.. i like it.."a night on the town" type of fragrance..
very nice , reminds me of a musky type of fragrance..with some zip.. liking it..

"Your cologne is a total mindf*ck*

one of the many responses I have received when I wear CPLS.

My signature night time scent.

Francis Kurkdjian has this phenomenal, unique way in mastering the scent of rose, and my god does he sexify it in CPLS.

This is a sultry, seductive, extremely mysterious explosion of rose drizzled with honey with an airy backdrop of frankincense and benzoin (vanilla-ish).

Take Back to Black by Kilian, take out that nasty ass rancid tobacco note, and give it a mind-blowing aura of arabic and french mysticism and you have Cologne Pour Le Soir. It really is nighttime scent, but to me is extremely versatile - for any weather, any occassion.

I have never smelt a fragrance that is as comforting and inviting as it is ravaging. No, not even a Frederic Malle can do that.

Only downfall, may need to reapply this badboy...but its worth it!

I had a sample and tried it last night and I loved it, but also it kept driving me crazy because I thought I had smelled it before but could not figure out why. This morning when I woke up I put a little more from my sample and the first fragrance that came to mind was Black Pearls and than browsing through ebay I saw a bottle of Jivago 7 notes and immediately thought...that's it! I believe this fragrance has a resemblance with those 2 fragrances, not 100% but maybe 80%.

Good Fragrance, but i reluctantly kind of chose this over APLS thinking that no one in the right mind will invest in APLS given the animalic splurge - got home tried it,when back to the store and returned Cologne Pour Le Soir for Absolute Pour Le Soir (APLS)

This cologne version is sweeter, probably best for autumn and such; its tame and if you just want to be careful this is for you, but i'd go for Absolute Pour Le Soir! Like A Roaring Lion!

Cologne pour le Soir is a soft and sweet (but not cloying) incense, rose and resin scent. It stays very close to the skin and now and then I get whiffs of it. A real sensual and comforting beauty.

Inspite of the name I do enjoy wearing it all day long.

Longevity is very good for a cologne. There is a similarity with Kenzo Flower Esentielle, but Cologne Pour Le Soir is much better imo.

Too rosy and too soapy (sadly, in a bad way...) for me. But really soft and feminine. Maybe I didn't enjoy it that much, because I didn't get any hint of balmy or leathery notes on me..? I would imagine this on a really calm, gentle woman. That would truly be a good match, I think.

this is very quiet scent of roses and leather, its like rose covered in mud....something like that, the opening was fekal to me :) i thought oh nooo.....but after 5 mins that was gone...the drydown is rosy and balmy and more of honey, i like the drydown, the top and middle reminded me of cuir de russia...but no iris here and a ted more animalic leather here, but i think if i tried EDP i would be sick of the smell..very interesting one!and yes this is evening scent and ideal for men!

A valid option for anyone who's into softer, lighter, close to the skin fragrances but got sick and tired of "unscented", detergent-like smelling perfumes.

A sophisticated and elegant blend of honeyed rose on a slight smoky frankincense base. Masterfully balanced, consistent but discreet and with a remarkable personality. Good work.

Rating: 7-7.5/10

Very subtle leather; rich and powdery but dries down very close to the skin. I'm getting the honey and incense as well though they are not cloying or too powerful..there may be a gentle patchouli at the base. Very nicely done but would probably be more suitable for a man.

Honey and burning pine incense dries to a sweet smokey vanilla with hints of incense. Lovely and gentle and a must-try for incense or vanilla lovers.

Cologne Pour Le Soir doesn't give me any leather smell at all, thank goodness!

On paper, it smells sweet, subtle and reminds me a lot of Sage's Amythest in the begining.
Then it smells of ink in a good way, with a little bit floral hint. It gives me the impression of cleanness.
Then the dry down is a little bit muskier than before. All in really good harmony. I just loved it on paper.

However, on my skin, it smells sweeter and even closer to Sage's Amythest, and the dry down has some weird sweet notes comes and goes, which smell a little bit like Play-Doh to me.

In Mark's review on the home page he compares this to Bois D'armenie. Since this sits on a pedastal next to my bed, I had to compare the two for myself.

One could make a case that the drydown is similar, but imo this is not as strong and does not have the oomph that BDA has (but it is also a different strength)

When I first applied this I thougt of wet hair. In general, the two samples I have from Maison FK remind me of body smells; I don't know if this was intentional or not, but if it was then FK is pretty darn brilliant.

This is a scent that slips right off me after about an hour and a half. Overall it is not meshing with my body chemistry, and after 30-40 minutes turns into wet body smell that never had a chance to dry. This is really unfortunate, but since I have a full bottle of Bois d'Armenie I don't care much.

I should also add that it is hard for me to wear leather in general, and I suspect other fragrances from this line will be a better fit.