Absolue Pour Le Soir Maison Francis Kurkdjian 2010

There are few fragrances that go beyond a certain, barely tolerable level of animalistic additions and thus cross the line into unbearable territory, or at least flirt with it. Absolue pour le Soir is one of them. However, unlike its competitors for the title of the most unbearable perfume, Absolue pour le Soir takes an opposing route: the animalistic aspect does not gradually unfold during the scent's progression, but is present from the very beginning with a clarity and intensity that almost takes your breath away. Yes, it feels as if with the first spray you have accidentally opened a big cat cage, and instantly a hot predator's breath hits your face. You want to recoil in horror, but it's too late: you are already enveloped by a heavy, sweet, animalistic aroma that dulls your flight reflex and keeps you rooted in place as if drugged.

This dirty-animalistic thunderclap at the beginning of the scent progression of Absolue pour le Soir - presumably a combination of musk, civet, and cumin - is truly (almost) unique and, at least for me, hard to handle. Sometimes I can endure this animalistic attack, even almost enjoy it; then again, sometimes I can only hold my nose and push through, even though I would prefer to run away, well aware that I would take the scent with me and the strict and penetrating projection of the fragrance would catch up with me anyway: once sprayed, there is no escape - this first phase must be endured, but the reward that awaits is considerable. For behind this furious opening lurks a massive honey-resin-benzoin accord, already known from Cologne pour le Soir, just intensified, whose resinous, smoky, and sweet facets form the main motif of this fragrance as well. A fully blooming rose peeks out from time to time, surrounded by herb-sweet honey tones and resting on fine sandalwood and vanilla notes. A touch of cedarwood tempers the almost overwhelming sweetness, and a hint of ylang-ylang wafts refreshingly through the deep-dark elixir. Only at the very end does the fragrance calm down, and all the overwhelming animalistic and sweet notes fade into an endless, soothing final chord that harmoniously unites all the conflicting aspects of the fragrance - the animalistic and dirty, now transformed into soft musk notes, the harsh honey into fine-sweet vanilla, and the resinous benzoin woven into fluffy sandalwood.

Here the evening ends, which could have already concluded with the Cologne - if the spirits hadn't returned late at night...

Thus, the Cologne pour le Soir rather accompanies the private, harmonious, and cozy part of the evening: a romantic dinner for two, a glass of red wine on the sofa, a bit of cuddling by the crackling fireplace, wrapped in fluffy blankets - a warm feel-good scent of the best kind.
And now the Absolue pour le Soir: stirred up by hearty and passionate sex that followed innocent cuddling, it pulls the wearer out into a rapturous and sensual nocturnal revelry that only fades in complete exhaustion in the early morning hours.
Unlike the Cologne, which makes one feel satisfied and sleepy, the Absolue awakens the libido and gets the blood pumping - two sides of the same coin, with entirely different engravings!

There are two fragrances that Absolue pour le Soir reminds me of: 'L'Air de Rien' by Miller Harris and 'Kouros' by Yves-Saint Laurent.
The former is constructed quite similarly: at the beginning, a dirty, almost musty animalistic opening with a lot of musk and patchouli. Then calmness sets in during the progression, floral and woody facets gradually come into play, framed by resinous notes and caramel-sweet vanilla - a scent like that of a rough, untreated sheep wool sweater knitted with coarse needles, still carrying the echo of the Shalimar worn the night before. Both fragrances could be siblings: one - Absolue pour le Soir - a pleasure-seeking erotomaniac and daredevil, and the other - L'Air de Rien - its more intellectual, older sister: somewhat aged, yet still feeding off the glory of past excesses. A bit of old-hippie, a bit esoteric - Jane Birkin indeed...

Quite different, and less obvious, is the kinship with Kouros: both are constructed completely differently - Kouros is a fresh-aromatic scent that becomes increasingly animalistic towards the end, wavering between a chypre and a fougère concept; on the other hand, Absolue pour le Soir is an animalistic oriental with a sweet-resinous heart and a heavenly sandalwood finish.
What unites them, and forms a common ground, is a combination of strong, rough honey notes with an almost unbearable animalistic presence - as if one were smearing honey around the mouth of the big cat, hoping not to be eaten oneself. And it works! The beast licks its honey-sweet beard and is pacified.
This combination, honey paired with animalistic additions, is truly extraordinary and certainly not to everyone's (or anyone's) taste. Even Serge Lutens' Miel de Bois found many detractors, although it is miles away from the animalistic powers of Kouros and Absolue pour le Soir.
Yes, this combination is simply precarious and divides opinions: either you hate it and squirm in disgust, or you are captivated by it, then hopelessly so. Mild indifference seems unable to endure it.

Speaking of potency: Absolue pour le Soir is such a resolute and offensive scent, with seemingly endless longevity, that I have wished every time so far that I had applied less (also not unlike Kouros!).
So: if you crave a truly high-quality, animalistic powerhouse with a tendency towards cozy and feel-good scents - voilà, here it is!
Unfortunately, it is not available anywhere in Germany, so just order it from Maison Francis Kurkdjian in Paris: the service is excellent, the contact extremely friendly, and the goods arrive in just a few days!

Unpack, admire the beautiful little bottle with the dark, amber-colored elixir, then spray - but please, please only in homeopathic doses!

I’m still practicing...