Myfumi

I still remember well - you in the old outfit of the Absolus d’Orient collection. - It was just two sprays, and I was fascinated… and a bit overwhelmed.
This freshness! Like a jolt from delicate Osmanthus blossom, golden Ylang-Ylang, and a hint of spices, settling on a velvety leather skin. Elegant, almost aristocratic, yet demanding. You didn’t beg; you showed presence. I realized: This leather wants to be understood, not just worn…
I wasn’t ready for that yet.

I was out and about with Tom and the guys, searching for my luck on the falcon hunt, amidst Oud, smoke, and saffron. It was exciting, a bit wild. We had our successes. There was also criticism: too loud, too rough… too masculine?
But I wanted more - I just didn’t know what.

And then, almost casually, you returned.
You looked different. Lighter, in a new guise: Absolus Allegoria, you said. But your scent was unchanged - again this freshness, this balance of softness and strength. You continued on your path, quietly, strongly, and entirely in your own harmony.

I was now open to more - ready for something new, ready for: More leather!

Full throttle, the leather coat thrown on, and off we went on a wild ride…
the air was heavy, heavy with conversations, smoke, and music…

You don’t let yourself be overshadowed and show your edge. With bergamot on the skin, you become brighter, almost radiant. But even alongside others - amber, oud, even a hint of patchouli… you hold your own, blending in without losing yourself.

The night is over, the intensity has subsided, a sense of calm returns.

Now I know: We will meet again. To set off - not to please, but to be. Because we can. Because we are ready.

And because some stories don’t end with the first act, but truly begin only with the second…


Thank you for reading

My first contact with "Grand Soir | Maison Francis Kurkdjian" was during a pleasant conversation in a specialty store. After testing many fragrances, my sense of smell was a bit overwhelmed, and GS didn't stand out particularly at first. What I mainly noticed was a distinct sweetness. Later, I had the opportunity to test GS again. This time, it caught my attention much more positively and quickly made it onto my ML. My interest was piqued, but I couldn't decide on a spontaneous purchase. Instead, I ordered a decant to deepen my impressions and compare the fragrance with others.

"Grand Soir | Maison Francis Kurkdjian" is a luxurious, amber fragrance that exudes warmth and elegance. Its intensity makes it an excellent choice for the evening or colder days. In the opening, it presents itself sweet and soft, with amber notes clearly dominating. Resinous nuances subtly balance the sweetness, and lavender adds a touch of freshness. The main players of this fragrance are amber, vanilla, and a soft, slightly powdery sweetness. This remains constant throughout the entire fragrance journey, never feeling too heavy or overwhelming. In comparison, Eternal Oud offers more spiciness and scores with fruity accents. The Boss Bottled Elixir also has some overlaps with Grand Soir, although the freshness of cardamom limits the similarity. The new fragrance Centaurus by Creed shows parallels in the drydown.

Many fragrances draw on elements of "Grand Soir | Maison Francis Kurkdjian," but I see Eternal Oud as the closest. While it doesn't reach the clarity and depth of GS, it can, depending on personal preferences and individual skin characteristics, be more than a solid alternative.

For those seeking an elegant evening fragrance with stable performance and willing to accept the price, "Grand Soir | Maison Francis Kurkdjian" is an excellent choice. For the price-conscious, Eternal Oud is a worthwhile alternative that comes very close to GS.

Whether Good Evening or Great Evening - in any case, the evening will be special.

In fact, one is always in search of the "perfect scent." For me, this journey began with "Oud for Glory | Lattafa / لطافة" - a fragrance considered a budget-friendly alternative to the hyped "Oud for Greatness (Eau de Parfum) | Initio." However, after my first test, I was a bit disillusioned. The sweetness was too dominant for me, the longevity was just okay, and the fragrance notes seemed not deep enough. Still, for the unbeatable price, it was hard to write it off completely, so I set it aside for the time being.

After that, I tried "Haltane | Parfums de Marly," a scent that was also supposed to go in the same direction as "Oud for Greatness (Eau de Parfum) | Initio." But Haltane took on a direction of its own for me - a good fragrance, no doubt, but not what I wanted. Eventually, the opportunity arose to test Oud for Greatness Eau de Parfum myself. And what can I say? I liked it immediately. It offered everything that had been missing for me before: sophistication, depth, less sweetness, and above all, impressive longevity.

The scent opens with wood, saffron, nutmeg, and lavender, a combination that remains intense, somewhat medicinal, yet warm and elegant. The oud is not too heavy, never musty or animalistic, but accessible and harmonious. As it develops, patchouli and musk blend into a perfectly balanced base. Oud for Greatness makes an impression without being intrusive, a fragrance for special moments, but surprisingly also suitable for everyday wear, even in the office.

In comparison, "Oud for Glory | Lattafa / لطافة" remains a solid choice for everyday use. The fragrance scores with its similarity to "Oud for Greatness (Eau de Parfum) | Initio," but it lacks depth and quickly becomes skin-close. For the price, Oud for Glory delivers a great result and is an affordable alternative.

After some detours, I have reached my destination with both fragrances: "Oud for Glory | Lattafa / لطافة" for everyday wear and Oud for Greatness Eau de Parfum for special moments. But is the search for the "perfect scent" over? Probably not, hopefully not. Because it is exactly this search that fuels the passion for perfumes.

As part of the Discovery Set, I had the opportunity to test various fragrances from the house of Crivelli, especially the creations by Jordi Fernández that captivated me - specifically Oud Stallion and Oud Maracujá.

After several days of testing, I chose Oud Maracujá, where the integration of fruitiness and the scent progression convinced me.

I am not bothered by the fact that Jordi Fernández works with oud accords. Perhaps it was precisely this aspect that made the fragrance so fascinating for me. The synthetic oud accords bring a certain restraint and give the fragrance an accessible elegance, without the often overwhelming and sometimes burdensome animal notes of oud breaking through. The result is a strong scent that still maintains balance and does not come across as too intrusive. However, it also holds true here: "the dose makes the poison" - 2 sprays were sufficient for me.

The opening is fresh and slightly tart, with a distinct passion fruit that immediately adds liveliness to the fragrance. However, this freshness does not last long, and the scent quickly transforms into a woody direction. On my skin, a slightly earthy note develops, with a subtle hint of leather in the background and dry wood that occasionally reminds one of resinous elements. The fruitiness remains subtly perceptible, but it gradually weakens, leading the fragrance to evolve into a woody, clean creaminess that remains present throughout the day.

In summary, Oud Maracujá is a fascinating fragrance that interprets oud in an accessible way. The fruitiness combined with the oud accords creates a scent that is strong yet harmonious - perfect for anyone looking for a distinctive fragrance.

Encouraged by various reviews and intrigued by a survey from Parfumo, I ordered several oriental fragrances. One of them is the Eternal Oud.

The bottle of Eternal Oud is heavy and solid, the copper-colored application on the bottle and the cap give me Asian bonsai vibes at first glance. In this version, there is no glass dome like in the other images published here, but a nice presentation box, which is again accompanied by an outer box and a small booklet.

One question that occupies me is the similarity to "Grand Soir | Maison Francis Kurkdjian," which is clear to me with the first spray. The opening is resinous, sweet, with a hint of fruit, and immediately after, spices and woody notes join in, and I think, "not quite." But the spiciness subsides a bit, and the sweetness and resinous notes that you know from GS come back through. It remains resinous with a vanilla and amber sweetness.

Somewhat more masculine due to the spiciness, but the DNA from GS is recognizable. Would I purchase the Eternal Oud again? I think so, because at a price of around 30 euros, you get a nice fragrance with decent performance. However, the Eternal Oud has not managed to remove GS from my wish list, as "Grand Soir | Maison Francis Kurkdjian" is the finer of the two with longer longevity. They are similar, but not the same.