Aqua Celestia Cologne Forte Maison Francis Kurkdjian 2021

I sometimes can't help myself, but I keep circling around the stands of Maison Francis Kurkdjian. I can't even say exactly why. Surely, it's those uniform, chunky cube bottles that have caught my eye, all lined up so neatly. It's definitely the big name that some perfume enthusiasts mention with reverence. The fragrances themselves are not the main draw, as only "Amyris Homme" has found a home with me so far.

With "Aqua Celestia Cologne Forte," Maison Francis Kurkdjian has introduced a blue, a light blue bottle to their portfolio for the first time. It looks beautiful as it emerges from the bright white box adorned with golden letters. The beautifully faceted cube bottle is a real feast for the eyes, and in this watery blue color, it is very appealing; the light catches beautifully in it. However, having to top it off with such a flimsy plastic cap in the cheapest version is truly undeserved. I hope that at least the chief controller at LVMH had a serious fit because he managed to save 2 cents per package here. No! This is unacceptable! That’s how you quickly alienate loyal customers!

The fragrance starts off with a very fine spray mist in a familiar citrusy way. The bergamot notes are recognizable, perhaps because the slightly artificial note has already come up too often. But soon, bright floral notes join in, softening things up a bit, brightening the scent, and distracting the senses. Soft musk notes appear after a few hours; they become soft but are never intrusive or sweet. Unfortunately, I can't perceive the promised fruity notes.

It's a quite successful fragrance. Because it’s a cozy scent, a familiar scent. A modern interpretation of a clean scent. It smells like a good, subtle fabric softener. Or like freshly ironed laundry, though more like light summer blouses than business shirts. Yes, this fragrance has a clear feminine connotation for me.

As close to the body as "Aqua Celestia Cologne Forte" is, it is also quite ephemeral. It may accompany you well for half a day, but then you should reapply. Heavenly it is truly not, to stretch that pun, but with a cologne that carries the word Aqua and then adds Forte... but let’s leave it at that. One should have long stopped falling for the marketing jargon of some perfume names or trying to read something into it!

Overall, "Aqua Celestia Cologne Forte" is a good and very pleasant, albeit not particularly strong, feminine clean scent. Nothing more, but also nothing less.

I was looking for a new summer fragrance for this year and came across the MFK Aqua Celestia Cologne Forte. At first, I looked at the reviews and was rather skeptical, but when I tested it personally, I was immediately thrilled. In my opinion, the rating of 7.5 is unfair, as the scent simply smells fresh and beautifully clean. If I were to Google the word clean, this perfume would have to appear. The problem is that people think they are getting a fragrance with a 10+ hour longevity when they spend €185. I think that is the reason for the rating.

In summary, I can say that the scent is beautiful and I will be using this perfume up this summer.

...I thought to myself, well then "Congratulations".

I begin my review with the fundamentally nice-looking bottle and wholeheartedly agree with my predecessor (there's really nothing to add to his remarks): What were the responsible parties thinking when designing the cap? Was the budget exhausted? Did they realize later: "Damn, we still need a cap for the bottle!"? Either way: I have rarely seen such an - quite literally - "inappropriate" cap on a perfume in this price range. It sits far too loosely, and the fact that the spray point of this plastic lump is neither visible nor tangible borders on a miracle.

By the way, I find it unfortunate that so many lines must be dedicated to a relatively unimportant part of the whole. But what must be done, must be done.

The cap certainly does not do justice to the fragrance. Aqua Celestia Cologne Forte is, after all, a pleasantly clean scent from the house of "Francis Kurkdjian". And on this point, I also agree with my predecessor: It is not particularly strong, but it radiates a lovely summery-citrusy freshness for me. The fragrance notes are coherent and understandable to me, yet the fruity note remains elusive. Over time, the perfume fades in a way that I find pleasant, and I even think I detect a hint of spice; marginal, yet present.

If the description of the bottle's cap - and this brings me back to my headline - takes more lines than the description of the fragrance... that does not necessarily have to be an indication of inferior quality of the scent. In my opinion, the exact opposite is true for Aqua Celestia Cologne Forte: The fragrance is quite simple, but very good.

The longevity is rock solid. On my skin, the perfume lasts a good five to six hours. The projection and sillage also follow the motto "Less is more". The perfume is perceivable in a pleasant way for those around me; I have often been told this.

Is the perfume worth the price that the buyer lays on the table? Well, that is something everyone must decide for themselves. I find it slightly overpriced and would only repurchase the perfume in a sale.

However, this does not change the fact that one (or woman) has a summery-fresh companion for various occasions with this scent. "Universally applicable" really hits the nail on the head.

This attribute almost makes one overlook that something called "cap" exists. I am honest: not just almost.

Aqua Celestia Cologne Forte is a very good summer fragrance.

New fragrances from this house quickly spark interest. Especially when you ask a professional in a perfumery what they like, and they respond: Only this one in the blue bottle, it has happiness hormones in the scent! Whether that's true, I can't say, but I bought it anyway. It is a nice fresh scent. A mix of citrus and slightly aquatic notes. You can really only find it sympathetic and pleasant. It's just a pity that it disappears faster than you'd like. Like happiness in life, it only lasts a short time and doesn't stay forever. At the price asked, however, I think that's too little performance. There are stronger, better, more lasting options out there. After 1 hour, it was over for me. Such a shame.

The Aqua Celestia Cologne Forte is indeed a successful summer fragrance. It smells really beautiful.

At the beginning, you get a lovely bergamot that plays with delicious fruity notes.
Furthermore, you can immediately sense this lightly integrated floral veil.
However, the floral notes are by no means overwhelming or oppressive.
Super pleasantly crafted, and they fit perfectly with the other accords of the fragrance.

I even had the feeling at first that I was getting some summery tea notes.
Over time, however, that impression changed a bit.

As time goes on, this fruitiness, which even comes across as slightly fizzy due to the bergamot, recedes a bit.
But it remains subtly present in the background, without coming off as fizzy.
This fruitiness reminds me a little of gummy bears, simply delicious.

The performance could be better, but well, we have a summer fragrance and a cologne here.
For that, it’s acceptable.

Overall, a really pleasant scent that one can certainly give a bit of attention to.
I like it.