Promesse de l'Aube / FK1 (2006)
by MDCI

If Un Coer En Mai is likened to a watercolor painting done in pastel hues then PROMISSE DE L'AUBE must be the brighter, more vibrant rendition in oil - the brush strokes bolder, the edges blending in well together to favor a more impressionist style; identifying individual notes thus proves to be a challenge. Projection is average and comes across as a radiant if somewhat bland floral but a more intimate nose-to-skin inspection reveals impressive depth. I have yet to encounter a floral oriental as similarly nuanced.

Kurkdjian may have captured 'youthful innocence' with Un Coer En Mai, explored 'feminine sensuality and seduction' themes with Enlévement au Sérail but with Promesse de l'Aube, I believe he simply had an excellent day at the perfumery.

20th April, 2011.

Random thoughts I'm having with this fragrance:
-The opening is very similar to Guerlain's Philre d'amour with its big BOOM of a citrus jolt
-Francis Kurkdjian was meant to be my soulmate, but since we've never met I make do with his awe-inspiring fragrances
-the Execs at MDCI need to put their heads together and come up with a way for their amazing fragrances to last more than 3-4 hours
-I thought En Couer en Mai was this line's best scent, but now i'm not so sure
-This fragrance reminds me of when I woke up in a 350 year old farmhouse in the rolling vineyards of Provence. The morning dew had not yet lifted, the surrounding hills were various shades of purple, and everything was serene, pure, and fresh
-I would give this a 'Love' and a place on my perfume shelf if it were longer lasting and had more sillage. sigh

8th February, 2010.

Promesse de l’Aube is a sweet, delicate, and exceptionally pretty peach chypre scent that marries classical structure to modern transparency. It’s precisely what I imagine Mitsouko would have smelled like when she was a little girl of ten or eleven, before she developed feminine wiles, gained carnal knowledge, and became jaded. As befits so poised a fragrance, projection, sillage, and longevity are all well modulated, and Promesse de l’Aube remains radiantly sweet right through its feather-light vanilla seasoned chypre drydown.

Writing this description I realize that Promesse de l’Aube is also a close relative of Aurélien Guichard’s Chinatown, though without some of the intentionally dissonant earthy elements that make Chinatown so compellingly odd. Compared to either of these other peach-centered fragrances, Promesse de l’Aube is not only clean, but bland. There is a coy, precious quality about this scent’s beauty that evokes a porcelain doll more than a living woman.

Promesse de l’Aube is undeniably beautiful, but its pricing makes the already exorbitant and frankly more distinctive Chinatown look like a bargain at about $200 US for 100 ml. Promesse de l’Aube is nice, but it’s not that nice. Granted, the Parfums MDCI bottle is pretty cool, but then Chinatown has a nice bottle, too. Of course if you’re serious about peach in a chypre context, there’s always Mitsouko. Even the 1 oz. Mitsouko parfum is far less costly than this Parfums MDCI offering. Finally, you might consider Kurkdjian's other fuity chypre in the MDCI line: Enlévement au Sérail. For the (considerable) money, I find it a deeper, more involving olfactory experience.

12nd December, 2009. (Last Edited: 31st July, 2010.)

This didn't blow me away and left me rather unaffected. It's not vile but it doesn't wow me. It feels mediocre and reminds me when I was young, perfumes when Tresor and Dune were the most popular scents out there. For the price you want to be head over heels and not left feeling ' not bad, but not great either' .

17th November, 2009.

Instant adoration. Out of my prize range. I fear this is aimed at a target market that doesn't include me, but its charms may be lost on some people who may mostly be seduced by the very exclusivity that the price point creates (that, or the showy bottle).

Alas, this is a heartbreakingly beautiful floral with sweet fruity, citrus and chypre tones. Feels grown up, perfume-y (in a good way); little skanky. It seems to last well, even in hot weather.

30th June, 2009.

A very well balanced fruity-floral chypre. The tip-top is sweet citrus, followed by a lovely accord of peach and rose. Floral-mossy-woody middle. The drydown has a surprising hint of rosemary. Long-lasting and well composed. Now if only the price were more reasonable...

7th February, 2009.