Lumière Noire pour Homme (2009)
by Maison Francis Kurkdjian

Beautiful scent. I went into this one with very low expectations due to my utter disappointment with APOM pour Homme... I will have to reevaluate my expectations with MFK after this one...

Rose and patchoulli, mix with a decent spicy dose of cinnamon and nutmeg to my nose (this could possibly be the cumin, that for once did not bother me at all). This blends perfectly later-on with a nice soapy, classy base that has a bit of amber and musc in it. It works quite well. Projection is above average, with average longevity. This is a winner and full bottle worthy, IMO.

14th January, 2012. (Last Edited: 16th January, 2012.)

Lumiere Noire pour Homme by Maison Francis Kurkdjian - One is initially treated to a debonair rose; the mildly sweet fragrance of which is somewhat stunted by the infused anise and nuttiness from the accompanying cumin. This exotic opening flows effortlessly to the heart, where a warm and toothsome cinnamon as well as an earthy and slightly dark patchouli nicely dust the rose with their inviting accessions. Arriving at its waiting base, a bitter and faintly disinfecting artemsia showers the rose, and specks of agreeable narcissus flitter about as its meanders to its enjoyable drydown. A prized gem in one's repertoire, this gorgeous composition, with its fresh and spicy overtures and concomitant sensuousness, has average projection and very good longevity.

15th December, 2011.

Not since Amouage's Homage Attar have I been blown away and my nose been taken back to fragrance school in what some creative perfumers can create. But Francis Kurkdjian has made some thing special with this one.

This was a wild blind buy for me and I was expecting a heavy rose/patchouli fragrance and instead it was the total opposite.

I sprayed a shot to my neck and wrist and got this beautiful very very light ethereal rose fragrance mixed in with something sensual. It is not like you are smelling a rose up close but smelling a beautiful rose mixed in with something sexy on the breeze.

After a while it develops this wonderful white muskyness that smells beautiful on your skin. It's like the creator has captured the feeling of been in love and bottled it as that is what it makes you feel. It's amazing to me that the whole composition is done with a light touch as it is very airy and as I said its like your smelling something beautiful on the breeze.

The fragrance is unisex to my nose though there is this light sensuality to it that slightly pushes it towards the masculine side of the border.

I am going to have to check out the other fragrances by Francis Kurkdjian as this one is a very beautiful sexy fragrance for a man to wear. Wonderful.

7th December, 2011.

Lumiere is very reminiscent of Narciso Rodriguez's Musc , but this one is for men and much better. It has this incredibly sexy boozy rose note , which is just intoxicating. A very romantic fragrance , one which evokes emotions of being in love. The patchouli grounds the rose and gives it an animalic masculine feel. A gem in the world of perfumery!

5th October, 2011.

I'm often skeptic about things people talk too much about and lately I've heard / read many words on the latest project by the young talented Francis Kurkdjian that I decided to momentairely re-direct my curiosity to other perfume houses and face Mr.FK's own line creations in a second time in order not to be influenced by the huge marketing campaign surrounding this launch. Then I went to Berlin where in a big department store they were promoting the whole Maison Francis Kurkdjian range by giving away discovery sets made of four vials at your choice. I had Acqua Universalis, APOM pour Homme, Cologne pour le Soir and Lumiere Noir pour Homme.

I found Acqua Universalis beeing quite inconsistent. One of those perumes that perfectly fits the concept "fragrances for people who don't like them". Then I moved to Lumiere Noir and I got positively surprised. This is the Francis Kurkdjian we're used to. A super-modern and very complex reinterpretation of the spicy fougere. Potent, rich and superbly orchestrated. In the whole fragrance I get a rose note that is always evident but never overwhelming as it's perfectly setted to react with others ingredients. A big dose of animalic-musk, spices, orange and patchouli. Lumiere Noir smells potent, dusty, dark, sweet, rich, mysterious and tremendously elegant. One of the few rose-scents that I really love.

10th April, 2011.

Let’s go in reverse, because I’d like to end on a positive note. Lumière Noire pour Homme winds up a tidy, sweet musky rose. If you like it, you’ll recognize that it comes from thoughtfully designed succinctness. If you don’t, it’s a bit matter-of-fact. I won’t say that this fragrance loses steam or loses track, but it loses me. To Francis Kurkdjian’s credit, the ride from the beginning to the end is wonderfully designed, and like a well worded short sentence. One idea, clearly stated, perfectly understood. It’s just that everything I love about this fragrance is up front and fades by the quick-to-arrive drydown.

But, oh, that beginning. There are countless patchouli roses out there. This ain’t like any of them. The rose smells like wine, the patchouli smells mineral, and the cumin smells like cumin. This cumin is not a replacement for animal-based ingredients. Not that pouty-growl, wanna-be animalic cumin. It smells like freshly ground roasted seeds and perfectly inflects the rose/patchouli pairing. The three pieces together feel like hot, dusty sandpaper, and smell like temptation. I smell this opening and think, this could be a solution to the chypre/oakmoss dilemma that’s haunting us. This accord is that good.

I just wish I could run LNpH in reverse. But unfulfilled expectation is classic disappointment.

To hell with my disappointment. Thumbs up for that opening accord.

26th February, 2011. (Last Edited: 7th May, 2011.)