APOM Homme Maison Francis Kurkdjian 2009

The creations of Francis Kurkdjian from Le Male for JPG to Green Tea for Arden are many and varied and carry the stamp of a unique mind ... the flavor of true creation. Perfumers are the rock stars of this obsession we call a passion ... and when they come in the magnetically dark eyed classically featured shape of M. Kurkdjian, I say bring on the guitar solo!! Indeed, my favorite Rose fragrance of all time (Rose Barbare) was created by this man ... so I thought it high time I sampled some of the wares from his own collection.

I am sampling both genders of APOM (A Part Of Me) together, and while the femme version becomes too sweet after a lovely initial burst of freshness, the homme version is quite chic and satisfying, except for a nagging mustiness at the top which thankfully doesn't last that long.
When I hold my wrists together and inhale, I get a remarkable likeness to Fleur du Male, another Kurkdjian creation for JPG.
Even though the note pyramid here is quite simple, a look at the listed aroma chemical ingredients contains the usual suspects ... Geraniol, Linalool, Citronellal, Limonene ... but also Benzyl Salicylate which is "an almost colorless liquid with a mild odor described as very faint, sweet-floral, slightly balsamic by those who can smell it, but many people either can't smell it at all or describe it's smell as musky." Being rather hyperosmic to musk, this is no doubt the ingredient that is irritating my nose and unfortunately spoils APOM for me a little.
That said, I can definitely smell the Orange Blossom and Cedar here, which I rather enjoy!

APOM pour homme seems to constantly morph on my skin, running the gamut from something I really like to something that I find irritating ... and back again. It isn't full bottle worthy for me ... but I've definitely enjoyed trying it and find myself intrigued.

I have six more samples from Maison Francis Kurkdjian to try :) ...

Who would think the simplistic construction of three notes could create such a romance? Clean crisp cedar, honey-like orange blossom and a rich, warm amber that smells as if it were rubbed vigorously between the perfumer's hands before being placed in the bottle. Despite APOM's basic composition, it is full-bodied and affluent with parfum strength. This may be a horizontal formula, however I'm under the impression that there are base notes of class, sophistication and elegance absolute. Whomever you come into contact with while intimately bound to this fragrance, will certainly be left with a piece of you.

I really wanted to like APOM, and based on the notes I really should like it... That said, I am glad I did not blind buy a full bottle, as I actually loathe the stuff. I find the scent very cloying and not at all what I expected. I get an annoying blend of artificial smelling orange flower and amber with musk mixed in for good measure. Projection is quite good here and so is longevity. Bottom line is APOM is not the worst scent I have smelled, not even close. It *is*, however, one of the most disappointing scents I have sampled though. Two big thumbs down and 1.5 out of 5 stars from me.

This is one of the best MFK perfumes ever made. Too bad it is discontinued. Pour homme version which was released from 2009-2014 was more animalic/amber version than homme which was released from 2014-2019. This was the era when perfumes were amazing. Nowdays we can only see unisex versions which are really unwearable.

APOM is a spectacular release everyone should check out and buy at a decent price if an opportunity arises. For everyone that likes fresh, complex, clean, and professional fragrances with a touch of musk this would be a great fragrance.

It is an excellent release from Maison Francis Kurkdjian and one of their best while they were still releasing big and bold perfumes, and I am glad I have it in my perfume collection.

TOP NOTES
As soon you spray the fragrance on your skin, the overall quality is immediately evident. The fragrance itself doesn’t smell particularly natural, and I suspect that most of it are made out of the highest quality synthetic oils.

The quality is on the same level as Tom Ford’s Private Blend perfumes, and that speaks for itself. Keeping that in mind, the first couple of minutes are indulged in this scent cloud of freshness, and cleanliness of aromatic and soapy citrus floral smells of neroli, and the orange fruit itself.

HEART NOTES
After the fragrance settles onto your skin, the scent warms up and transitions into this floral spicy amber with the combination of floral/citrusy combination which is just to die for.

The three-note fragrance that we see more and more in newer releases is just to point you as a wearer what can you expect.

But, in reality, we all know that each fragrance contains many more notes and accord. Besides the amber accord, I’m pretty positive that I also smell, vanilla, labdanum, benzoin, tonka beans, and even spicy cinnamon.

BASE NOTES
Around thirty minutes or so, the fragrance reaches its final stage of development and introduces gentle woody, and musky notes.

Cedarwood is usually used in fragrance as an Iso E Super molecule which has been used here as well since it’s clearly detectable and improves the overall projection and longevity of the composition.

The versatile nature and the combination of the bright and oriental notes from the top and the heart notes keep the scent interesting and just get even more complex as it develops.

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OVERALL
To me, A Part Of Me or A Piece Of Me as I have seen in some other sources is on the same level of quality as my winter favorites Frédéric Malle Musc Ravageur, and Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille. One of a kind release!

Read the full review at scentgrail.com