Reflets d'ambre Maison Francis Kurkdjian 2024

Review:
MFK Reflets d’ambre

Wow! If I was inclined to choose a signature fragrance for myself I think this would be it.
This opens with a sparking pink pepper - this pink pepper is NOT harsh, abrasive or nauseating. It’s smooth, spiced and immediately I get the impression of amber. Soon there after the jasmine comes forward. The Jasmine is soft and round, almost an abstract Jasmine rather than a true to life Jasmine. Perhaps my perception will change with more wears.

The deep dry down is delicious patchouli forward amber. It’s filled of contradictions; syrupy yet powdery. Rich yet airy.
Like another favorite of mine Guerlain’s Bois D’Armenie; Reflects d’ambre creates a mystical woody balsamic aura around the wearer, giving them hours of a sweet resinous scent bubble. The silage is above average. I wore RdA out today and throughout the shop I kept waking into my siliage.
Reflects d’ambre doesn’t become more intimate until the 6 hours mark.

I have not been able to test Ciel de Gum (please, message me if you have a sample or decant to swap with me- I am dying to sample it) though many say this is Ciel de Gum but lighter and airier.
I find this composition to be full bodied so Ciel de Gum must be fantastic!!
It also smells nothing like Gaultier2.
I am already considering a backup bottle of Reflets d’ambre. It’s still being sold by Harrods as it’s a Harrods exclusif.

So, I just received my bottle after rushing to order it from Harrods Knightsbridge and I find this to be a little disappointing.
It is very similar to Ciel de Gum but it is neither as thick nor as interesting as the original to me.
This version is a lot more floral and lacks the gloopy, ambery base and the little incense of the CdG.
I suspect this is both a reformulation based on materials being restricted and an updated version for a different audience.
The hedione intensifies the white floral aspect and that's not my jam.
Someone else may love it