Maison Francis Kurkdjian L’Homme A la Rose EDP 

MFK’s L’Homme A la Rose opens with a burst of citrus and herbaceous spice, like bending a grapefruit peel over a snapped green stem. Once the zest settles, the roses begin to bloom. Two varieties of rose are used in this fragrance, the Centifolia rose and Damascena rose. The Centifolia rose lends soft, honeyed notes. The Damascena, slightly spicy. People often describe this scent as being “the whole rose,” leaves, stem, petals and all. And I have to agree with them. There is a greenness, a bite, a thorn, an energy, that accompanies the soft layers of rose petals. The dry down is warm like clear nectar dripping down soft pink petals. The amber woods accord provides a strong backbone, holding the rest of the bouquet together. Not a dry wood, but a living wood. A taut green stem with glowing amber beneath the bast fibers. The temperature is cool, not cold, like a Spring breeze, and lends itself to warmer weather. Spring and Summer is when I enjoy it most. It feels clean and relaxed, elegant and put together. I find it addicting, continually going back to the patch of skin where I’ve sprayed it. It bears the recognizable DNA of the house, and yes smells nothing like any other rose that I have.