Amyris Femme
Maison Francis Kurkdjian (2012)

I was intrigued by Kurkdjian's decision to showcase Amyris balsamifera, a warm, woody, balsamic oil that has often been used to cut sandalwood oil. I experimented with it a number of times when studying perfume making and found it to be a great, economic "blender" for wood and resinous accords, and thought it showed potential as a centerpiece in perfume compositions.

In Amyris Femme, I cannot say with confidence that this was actually achieved. I don't doubt its here, but perhaps its so much of a "blender" here that it completely "blends in," hidden in a generic woody-floral-musky composition that is hopelessly commercial and while pleasant enough and "pretty," is yawn-inducing. The citrus that opens it is of the most interest, and even so, it's a bit shallow, almost like a hydrating toner, and this slips into a sallow floral andd vague blond wood oblivion.

Surprisingly awful. I thought I was over my hatred of "floral perfumes" until I tried this, and then remembered exactly why I used to think of florals as cloying and mawkish: this is it, the representation of the brash sickly floral that thinks it's soft and demure that used to scare me away from the genre and all its treasures.

Pale citrus with leafy-green tendencies that are bright, bordering on sheer. It begins to turn bitter. Elemi is herbal-like and it is also woody. AF moves into an old-style, men's cologne accord... This observation changes within fifteen minutes. I get a creamed, fruit vibe in the background. A mild, starchy, iris-root like note moves into focus. AF falls away from being masculine to moving towards feminine. Vetiver blends in to the iris creating an outdoorsy smell.

The vetiver-iris thing increases its pleasure factor. A little addition of woody oud adds extra zing.

An interesting composition overall... Turns a tad more green later.

There is either too much fruit or too much powder. I don't know, but something is not working there. It's itchy to the nose, it's cloying. Longevity and sillage are good.

Amyris is an extremely appealing fragrance, it's beautiful and masterfully blended - the quality of both ingredients and composition is evident. It's smooth with a well-constructed development and decent longevity of around 8 hours.
It opens with fresh oranges and lemons, softened by a haze of floral iris and underpinned with woods. The iris heart is pretty - more of a powder-puff than a frosty snow queen - with a warm glow of citrus in the background. The oud-vetiver base gives great endurance and adds an androgynous twist - this could very easily be a shared springtime scent.
Clean, fresh, crisp, classic, easy, happy, bright and extremely versatile. I'm falling for MFK in a big way...

The opening has a discretely fresh undertone - courtesy of some hints of citrusy vibes and a light and non-earthy vetiver - but it is mainly a floral note that is centred around a nice iris note. Whilst rich, it is an elegant iris, with a green undertone and not too sweet at all. An unashamedly floral affair.

The drydown brings in an incense that, again, combines richness with elegance. It is a light and ethereal balsamic tone; a far cry from the heavy solemn and ceremonial frankincense others have used and use. This is the incense antithesis to Amouage's splendid Interlude.

Yes, there is some oud in the base, but very discretely incorporated into the whole mix; think of the oud in Royal Oud - that's how discreet it is on my skin, just a touch more synthetic.

Towards the end the incense and the green and balsamic characteristics were off and what remains is the iris that, gently, fades into the night.

The sillage is moderate, the projection excellent, and the longevity an amazing fourteen hours on my skin.

A scent for spring evenings, well-blended, not without an original and never too cloying or annoyingly synthetic. 3.25/5.