Aqua Vitae Maison Francis Kurkdjian 2013

First of, I really like Kurdjian's work, it's like art to me. Nose art. However (and I probably have this issue with most citrus scents) as bright, sparkly and natural-Prozac this is, it truly does not last on skin/clothes for more than an hour, no matter how liberally I spray. For the short span of time that I can smell it, it really is as enjoyable as a hike in fresh mountain air. Bright, sparkly, zesty and all other positive words come to mind when applying this. After it settles it becomes slightly more jasmine/woodsy...and then it's gone. If there was a way this could be made a more tenacious scent, I would definitely not think twice about purchasing a bottle.

The ultimate in sweet nothings. Aqua Vitae by Maison Francis Kurkdijan is a fresh, summery fragrance that sparkles with zesty citrus, a green, crisp jasmine, and a whisper of tonka. There are massive amounts of hedione in this - about 50%, according to Kurkdijan himself - and this is what creates that green, crispy effect overlaying the citruses at the start.

Despite the dry, woody flavor contributed by the Iso E Super here, the effect is not overly chemical or harsh, which is to Kurkdijan's credit. He is nothing if not a skilled perfumer and knows how to dose these synthetics just right. Other perfumers should learn from him. The effect is total radiance and luminosity, kind of like the effect achieved in Timbuktu. It's nice, but emphatically not for me. It is far too light to make more than a brief impression, and slides off the skin (and out of mind) in a couple of hours.

I found this unisex offering to be very masculine at the get go, and not something I would typically wear. However, that ebbed quickly and went to…almost nothing at all in about fifteen minutes. I’m using a decant with the dabbler and maybe I didn’t put on enough? I’m going to add a bit more and try again before I write this one off.

Edited to add: So, I DID add more, and, yeah, initially I could smell a bit more, enough to know that, once again, I have been led astray by something with "Aqua" in the name/description, because I got no water at all here, and certainly not the ocean scent I was hoping for.

And, again, in a ridiculously short period of time the scent had faded away to nothing. I was surprised by this, but perhaps I shouldn't be because I really know very little about MFK fragrances. However, I assume Baccarat 540 has decent longevity, but I only smelled a tester at Saks and decided to move on; I didn't actually try it on my skin. However, it's so very popular that I want my mom to experience it so I either already bought a decant or I will.

In this video i review and compare both Aqua Vitae and its flanker, Aqua Vitae Forte. So far I haven't had a lot of luck with Maison Francis Kurkdjian fresher scents, I wonder if my luck is about to change.

Documentation in one act
Location: Emergency Room, somewhere
Time: 4:45 PM to 5:30 PM
Persons: Dr. Clooney, Nurse 1, Nurse 2, Caregiver 1, Caregiver 2,

Announcement:
Dr. Clooney please URGENTLY to the emergency room …… Dr. Clooney, please URGENTLY to the emergency room ………… Dr. Clooney please …………
.
“Hello kids, here I am. Sorry, I was still at the gyn. So, what do we have here?”
“Name Vitae, Aqua; 6 months old, father Francis Kurkdjian, mother unknown, gender unclear.”
“Legally or privately?”
“Very private, it costs quite a bit.”
“Okay, what’s wrong with it?”
“Still unclear, was brought in by relatives.”
“And?”
“No idea, they just said it wasn’t doing so well. They’ve had the feeling a few times that it’s done for.”
“Well, let’s see. It would be a shame if we couldn’t get it back on its feet, with that name?!”
.
“Hello, Aqua, Vitae …..uh …. what is actually its first and last name?”
“Pfff …… no idea.”
“Hello Mr. - Mrs. Vitae .. can you understand me? .. Do you have any pain? …… Hello?”
“Either deaf or dead.”
“No jokes please. What do the vital signs say?”
“Vital signs? I don’t want to be a pessimist, but to me, it looks a bit pale around the nose.”
“Pulse and blood pressure?”
“Very weak, I can barely measure it. And I can only get a sinus curve if I do ‘paint by numbers’.”
“Oxygen saturation?”
“Well, let’s just say: smoking shouldn’t be on the agenda right now.”
“Is the lab result in yet?”
“No, not that quickly?!”
.
“Okay, let’s go, we need to get to work! Nurse: Activate the spray mechanism! On 3, 2, 1 …”
…………………………………………………………Pppffffhhhhhhhhhhh ……………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
“And?”
“Hmm…………… Lemon, right?”
“Yeah, lemon, I would say.”
“Where? I smell nothing.”
“There!”
“Where?”
“Well there! You have to get really close.”
“Aha: yeah, quite nice.”
“Or did the cleaning lady leave something behind again?”
“No, no, that’s definitely it.”
“What does the EKG say?”
“Well, a heartbeat looks different somehow.”
“So for me, it’s tangerine!”
“No, lemon ………… and vanilla!”
“It smells good.”
“I must insist, it’s nice!”
“Yeah nice … but it’s not that great.”
“But somehow creamy, right? Like the ice balls at my Italian place.”
“Is there anything else coming?”
…………………………………………
“No, just this lemon cream.”
“Tangerine!”
“Yeah, yeah, it doesn’t matter now.”
.
“Well, kids, I would say it’s alive … so kind of … off to the monitoring station with it, it’ll be out in 3 days, I’ll be back on the VIII.”
“So for me, it stays tangerine.”
“No, lemon!”
“Hello?! I said: Off to the monitoring station, if I may!”
“Yeah, yeah …… ”
.
“Friends, I don’t want to disturb your party, but our lemon cream ball is just about to crash!”
“What, already, after 45 minutes?”
“Well, my monitor is dark. Probably more Aqua than Vitae.”
“Okay, emergency program. Resuscitate. Please step back. 3…2…1… and ………………………
Pulse?”
“Negative ………… or wait ………….. no, never mind.”
“We’re losing it!”
“I think it’s wheezing.”
“Man, that’s the air conditioning!”
“Okay, no panic: chest compressions …… and 1, and 2 and 3 …… 3 mg of atropine to draw!
And again the defibrillator please …… Please step back … And 3…2…… 1… and …”
.............................................................................
“Damn.”
“That’s it.”
“Sometimes you lose, sometimes the other wins.”
“Such a shame about the nice tangerine.”
“Lemon!”
“Okay friends, everyone listen up: there’s no reason to be down. We all did our best. Sometimes it just is that way. Who’s handling the paperwork? I’ll be back on the VIII.”
.
“Guys, I’ll order us something from the ice cream parlor later. Want anything?”
“Oh yes, for me please a spaghetti ice .. but with lots of sauce.”
“I’ll take a banana flip! Or do they have shakes too?”
“I think so.”
“Then I’ll take … uh …. tangerine!”
“For me please also a shake, but please: lemon!”
“And doctor, anything for you?”
.
“Yeah, I don’t care, order something. Just please no squeaky fruits, no fruit. I can’t take all these lifeless lemon creams anymore. I need something honest with flavor and with a bit …………… with a bit of pulse …………. Something alive!”