KimJong
PetarMolnar
Manhai09/10/2024
Nathan
7 Reviews
Nathan
3
The kiss of Judas
I have a soft spot for Ambre Nuit and would easily put it in a top 10 fragrances ever created. Demachy knows his craft and he truly outdid himself when this first got released. What an absolute breathtaking fragrance. Elegant, sophisticated, magical, airy and smells incredibly expensive.
No wonder I had high expectations when Dior announced they were releasing a small collection of the so called ‘Les Esprit de Parfum’ and Ambre Nuit being one of the chosen 5. However leaving out Bois d’Argent from the lineup is an insult to every fragrance enthusiast. I was keen on buying the new version of Ambre Nuit but given the ridiculously high price tag I went for a small decant to test it out on skin. I was very curious to see how Kurkdjian would approach this masterpiece. I was hoping for small tweaks here and there but in the end I was really just hoping for a more beefy version of Ambre Nuit with a bit more backbone and projection without changing the scent DNA too much. Well… Oddly enough Kurkdjian decided to make a completely new fragrance with no resemblance to Ambre Nuit…. Imagine being asked by someone to paint a picture in the vein of Salvador Dali and you end up doing Banksy street art.
First of all.. Removing that damask rose from the composition is absolutely criminal. He basically took the lazy way out and build the fragrance around one of his own creations from ‘Maison Francis Kurkdjian’… Also known as Grand Soir. This new version of Ambre Nuit is almost identical with Grand Soir laced with a heavy dose of cardamom and cinnamon. But why on earth would you leave the rose out? That rose was hauntingly beautiful and dreamlike. It had us all addicted to this beautiful creation. But the extrait is just so ridiculously thick and dense and attacks your nostrils in the most uncomfortable way possible. The original Ambre Nuit was James Bond leaning against his Aston Martin at sunset with a Vesper Martini in his hand. The extrait feels like Bruce Willis coming through in a jeep while yelling out the window telling everyone to get out the way. If you’re looking for the older brother to Grand Soir that is very loud, takes steroids and makes his presence known from the other side of the room…Then suit yourself. If you want an extrait version of Ambre Nuit then you’ve come to the wrong party.
I must admit that I’ve lost a fair amount of respect for Francis Kurkdjian. You come to such a big house like Dior to make a statement and you decide to do re-releases and somehow manage to make them even worse. I understand that he might have gotten instructions from above in the Dior hierarchy and it’s all just a big money machine but it still hurts to see an artist like Kurkdjian selling his soul and integrity. The only positive thing with this release? That I don’t have to buy it. To ask such money for a spiced up Grand Soir and labelling it ‘Esprit de Parfum’ is just taking the piss in all honesty. I’m definitely sticking with the original Ambre Nuit which is superior in both price and smell. To be handed a piece of art only to come up with such a mess is almost blasphemous. It sort of feels like the ultimate betrayal in order to gain a few coins. Wait…. That story sounds very familiar to my ears. Ahhh yes… Now I remember…
Gospel of Matthew 26:14-16:
“While they were eating, Jesus said; “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.” Then, one of the Twelve Disciples - The one called Judas Iscariot went to the priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver.”
No wonder I had high expectations when Dior announced they were releasing a small collection of the so called ‘Les Esprit de Parfum’ and Ambre Nuit being one of the chosen 5. However leaving out Bois d’Argent from the lineup is an insult to every fragrance enthusiast. I was keen on buying the new version of Ambre Nuit but given the ridiculously high price tag I went for a small decant to test it out on skin. I was very curious to see how Kurkdjian would approach this masterpiece. I was hoping for small tweaks here and there but in the end I was really just hoping for a more beefy version of Ambre Nuit with a bit more backbone and projection without changing the scent DNA too much. Well… Oddly enough Kurkdjian decided to make a completely new fragrance with no resemblance to Ambre Nuit…. Imagine being asked by someone to paint a picture in the vein of Salvador Dali and you end up doing Banksy street art.
First of all.. Removing that damask rose from the composition is absolutely criminal. He basically took the lazy way out and build the fragrance around one of his own creations from ‘Maison Francis Kurkdjian’… Also known as Grand Soir. This new version of Ambre Nuit is almost identical with Grand Soir laced with a heavy dose of cardamom and cinnamon. But why on earth would you leave the rose out? That rose was hauntingly beautiful and dreamlike. It had us all addicted to this beautiful creation. But the extrait is just so ridiculously thick and dense and attacks your nostrils in the most uncomfortable way possible. The original Ambre Nuit was James Bond leaning against his Aston Martin at sunset with a Vesper Martini in his hand. The extrait feels like Bruce Willis coming through in a jeep while yelling out the window telling everyone to get out the way. If you’re looking for the older brother to Grand Soir that is very loud, takes steroids and makes his presence known from the other side of the room…Then suit yourself. If you want an extrait version of Ambre Nuit then you’ve come to the wrong party.
I must admit that I’ve lost a fair amount of respect for Francis Kurkdjian. You come to such a big house like Dior to make a statement and you decide to do re-releases and somehow manage to make them even worse. I understand that he might have gotten instructions from above in the Dior hierarchy and it’s all just a big money machine but it still hurts to see an artist like Kurkdjian selling his soul and integrity. The only positive thing with this release? That I don’t have to buy it. To ask such money for a spiced up Grand Soir and labelling it ‘Esprit de Parfum’ is just taking the piss in all honesty. I’m definitely sticking with the original Ambre Nuit which is superior in both price and smell. To be handed a piece of art only to come up with such a mess is almost blasphemous. It sort of feels like the ultimate betrayal in order to gain a few coins. Wait…. That story sounds very familiar to my ears. Ahhh yes… Now I remember…
Gospel of Matthew 26:14-16:
“While they were eating, Jesus said; “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.” Then, one of the Twelve Disciples - The one called Judas Iscariot went to the priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver.”
1 Comment
