Reviews of APOM pour Homme by Maison Francis Kurkdjian
phew.
Sugared orange blossom. Quite off putting. I cannot imagine any functional male wearing this and since its not a particularly nice smell then no lady either. Scrubber.
Fragrance: 5/10
Projection: 7/10
Longevity: 7.5/10
Sugared orange blossom. Quite off putting. I cannot imagine any functional male wearing this and since its not a particularly nice smell then no lady either. Scrubber.
Fragrance: 5/10
Projection: 7/10
Longevity: 7.5/10
Feels like a good quality summer floral fragrance, neroli and orange blossom mainly..drifts into washing powder territory at times but in the end the natural smelling orange blossom gives it a realistic feel and keeps it feeling fairly artisan. Somedays I really like it and others days I'm a bit meh, it does seem to be fairly linear if you forget that the basenotes are some sort of amber accord rather than the sweet smell of blossom. All in all I think this may suit a person that enjoys countryside breaks and gardening.
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Maison Francis Kurkdjian APOM pour Homme (2009) is one of several fragrances that debuted the house itself, and is an acronym that stands for "A Part of Me", since this was at the time marketed as his signature pair of masculine and feminine fragrances. In fact, the brand always touts each and every creation as being personal in some way to Mr. Kurkdjian, but they really make sure to assert that with APOM. The fragrance is deceptively simple, clean, yet warm and rich, with an immaculate blending for which the perfumer himself and his house is known, but is certainly not one of the more beloved by fans in the range. I think the primary reason for APOM pour Homme in particular not being more popular is it utilizes some of Francis Kurkdjian's favorite notes: neroli, amber, and musk, all of which are not terribly masculine to the mainstream nose, which confuses those investigating the brand if MFK is their introduction to niche perfume. Kurkdjian bends and plys these notes with supporting players until the whole of the perfume is one rounded journey from white florals into smooth spice, wood, and oriental warmth underpinned by musk, and is unfashionably powdery to the 21st century.
APOM pour Homme opens with a beautiful gender-neutral orange blossom, infused with a bit of ylang-ylang and jasmine hedione to give it a shine, but soon quickly mixes in with a blend of cardamom, opoponax, heliotrope, and what seems like a touch of orris to my nose. The blending here is such that it takes me great pain to discern these notes and I could in fact be smelling ghost notes since MFK is a house that fully embraces synthetics, so who really knows what is conjuring these smells? The base is amber over cedar, coumarin, vanilla, and musk, with a bit of late-stage powderiness that I'm going to blame on the detected heliotrope and/or orris but again, could be an aromachemical. The name of the game here is smooth, smooth, and more smooth, with a creamy texture perfect for cold weather and intimate liasons, yet also conjuring a bit of the barbershop somehow, even with a total lack of lavender. This could almost be a semi-oriental fougère if not for this absence of lavender. You'll get 8 hours easily with respectable but still moderately-close performance, which is for the best. Usage recommendations could go many ways with APOM pour Homme, but I feel this is best used in winter or cooler summer evenings regardless of context.
Romantic, classy, but not resolutely masculine despite the "pour homme" tagging, I can understand the slight division among perfume aficionados on the merits of APOM pour Homme. Maison Francis Kurkdjian releases in the earliest years were generally more challenging than what the house would become known for, as MFK eventually headed down a more mass-appeal route with the positive reception of the Aqua and Oud lines with the buying public, reaching breakout success with Baccarat Rouge 540 (2014). Still, APOM pour Homme and the accompanying Lumière Noire pour Homme (2009) do indeed feel more like the personal expressions all the perfumes claim to be, because they are uncompromisingly of Francis Kurkdjian's style, and boat loads more interesting (even if many from this house are excellent). If powdery, musky, and rounded semi-oriental but otherwise clean ambers with a white floral twist sound like something that would interest you, then APOM pour Homme may be worth checking out. I've already chosen to make APOM a part of me because I love neroli and powdery barbershop scents also sit well with me, so smashing them together seems like a no-brainer, just mind the niche price tag. Thumbs up.
APOM pour Homme opens with a beautiful gender-neutral orange blossom, infused with a bit of ylang-ylang and jasmine hedione to give it a shine, but soon quickly mixes in with a blend of cardamom, opoponax, heliotrope, and what seems like a touch of orris to my nose. The blending here is such that it takes me great pain to discern these notes and I could in fact be smelling ghost notes since MFK is a house that fully embraces synthetics, so who really knows what is conjuring these smells? The base is amber over cedar, coumarin, vanilla, and musk, with a bit of late-stage powderiness that I'm going to blame on the detected heliotrope and/or orris but again, could be an aromachemical. The name of the game here is smooth, smooth, and more smooth, with a creamy texture perfect for cold weather and intimate liasons, yet also conjuring a bit of the barbershop somehow, even with a total lack of lavender. This could almost be a semi-oriental fougère if not for this absence of lavender. You'll get 8 hours easily with respectable but still moderately-close performance, which is for the best. Usage recommendations could go many ways with APOM pour Homme, but I feel this is best used in winter or cooler summer evenings regardless of context.
Romantic, classy, but not resolutely masculine despite the "pour homme" tagging, I can understand the slight division among perfume aficionados on the merits of APOM pour Homme. Maison Francis Kurkdjian releases in the earliest years were generally more challenging than what the house would become known for, as MFK eventually headed down a more mass-appeal route with the positive reception of the Aqua and Oud lines with the buying public, reaching breakout success with Baccarat Rouge 540 (2014). Still, APOM pour Homme and the accompanying Lumière Noire pour Homme (2009) do indeed feel more like the personal expressions all the perfumes claim to be, because they are uncompromisingly of Francis Kurkdjian's style, and boat loads more interesting (even if many from this house are excellent). If powdery, musky, and rounded semi-oriental but otherwise clean ambers with a white floral twist sound like something that would interest you, then APOM pour Homme may be worth checking out. I've already chosen to make APOM a part of me because I love neroli and powdery barbershop scents also sit well with me, so smashing them together seems like a no-brainer, just mind the niche price tag. Thumbs up.
Nothing mysterious here. Flowers over cedarwood. Smells exactly how you'd imagine it would. Safe, inoffensive. Good quality. Projection is average, longevity is good.
Smells like clean floral dryer sheets.
Smells like clean floral dryer sheets.
A very pleasing, sweet and fresh masculine scent, APOM is a blast of florals that is refined and yet playful at the same time.
This one plays tricks on my nose as it changes from sweet and floral to masculine and woody, always making me wonder if I truly like it as much as I think I do. In the end, it's a very pleasing scent that I may just have to assume is solely for my enjoyment and not for any other purpose.
Performance is outstanding with all day projection.
Revisiting this at a much later date than the original review above, it is quite pleasant at times but very persistent and annoying at others. Also, it's less masculine than I remember, too much white florals.
Still has great performance.
This one plays tricks on my nose as it changes from sweet and floral to masculine and woody, always making me wonder if I truly like it as much as I think I do. In the end, it's a very pleasing scent that I may just have to assume is solely for my enjoyment and not for any other purpose.
Performance is outstanding with all day projection.
Revisiting this at a much later date than the original review above, it is quite pleasant at times but very persistent and annoying at others. Also, it's less masculine than I remember, too much white florals.
Still has great performance.
Stardate 20170124:
Neroli topnotes have to be done really well for me to like. This one is done OK.
The development is nice and unexpected with the top notes it starts with. But feels lacking in quality. Notes are generic and nothing strikes out.
OK but for the price I expect better
Neroli topnotes have to be done really well for me to like. This one is done OK.
The development is nice and unexpected with the top notes it starts with. But feels lacking in quality. Notes are generic and nothing strikes out.
OK but for the price I expect better
A deep floral opening, mainly a strong ylang-ylang is the central accord, initially with a brief orange blossom that is unusually deep and very fleeing only. Further in the drydown a gently spicy note develops that never overwhelms the ylang-ylang, but becomes a distinct sidekick of the floral core. For some moments hints of cardamom, a smidgeon of opoponax and later of orris are fleetingly greeting me.
Then an ambery impression is introducing itself. This Amber is halfway between dark and bright, and smooth - I dont't get any sharpness or edge in it. As an amber it is a bit on the unexciting side
The wood note has a cedar touch, but is not a distinguished or strong or typical version of this species; I do not get any cigar box aroma at all. This is again a somewhat uninspiring cedar impression.
The sillage is moderate, the projection very good, and the longevity is an enormous fourteen hours.
On the on hand this scent for cooler spring days is a bit unexciting, but on the other hand at some stage there is a nice array of contrasting elements that are well blended whilst maintaining good structure. Furthermore, the splendid longevity as well as the good quality of the ingredients elevate this creation into the realm of a positive score. 3.25/5.
Then an ambery impression is introducing itself. This Amber is halfway between dark and bright, and smooth - I dont't get any sharpness or edge in it. As an amber it is a bit on the unexciting side
The wood note has a cedar touch, but is not a distinguished or strong or typical version of this species; I do not get any cigar box aroma at all. This is again a somewhat uninspiring cedar impression.
The sillage is moderate, the projection very good, and the longevity is an enormous fourteen hours.
On the on hand this scent for cooler spring days is a bit unexciting, but on the other hand at some stage there is a nice array of contrasting elements that are well blended whilst maintaining good structure. Furthermore, the splendid longevity as well as the good quality of the ingredients elevate this creation into the realm of a positive score. 3.25/5.
I am quite amazed with the sillage for such type of a perfume - really long lasting with good projection!
As a woman who finds the differentiation between "masculine" and "feminine" scents meaningless (except that I seem to gravitate toward many scents traditionally thought of as men's), and as someone who really enjoys orange blossom and amber, I expected to like Apom. And like it I do. It's a really skillful, pleasant combination of just a few notes: there's a softness or powderiness under the citrusy opening, but it's not a really multi-dimensional scent; it tends to lay kind of "flat" on the skin, if that makes sense. (I don't know how else to describe it.) But still, I'm enjoying it, though perhaps not as much as some of the other FK scents I've tried. It's a nice thing to wear when I don't want a fragrance with a message. But it's strong, and I'm not into big sillage, so I'm going to stick to one spray from now on.
Don't like it.
Very little orange blossom (a note I like).
Too much ylang-ylang (a note I don't like) and amber (which I also don't like).
Starts with a very spicy, peppery powder note. If there is orange blossom here I've missed it entirely. Powerful, assertive. Wood is background.
Don't over-apply this. Even one spritz and I find it quickly becomes loud, thin, metallic and unpleasant. You could be become the "elevator guy" with too much of this.
Hints of vanilla -- bleh.
Ylang-ylang here is sweet, a syrupy floral. Meh.
Scrubbed it off.
Very little orange blossom (a note I like).
Too much ylang-ylang (a note I don't like) and amber (which I also don't like).
Starts with a very spicy, peppery powder note. If there is orange blossom here I've missed it entirely. Powerful, assertive. Wood is background.
Don't over-apply this. Even one spritz and I find it quickly becomes loud, thin, metallic and unpleasant. You could be become the "elevator guy" with too much of this.
Hints of vanilla -- bleh.
Ylang-ylang here is sweet, a syrupy floral. Meh.
Scrubbed it off.
APOM by Francis Kurkdjian is a true masterpiece! I decided to wear it yesterday (Sunday)and I am so glad I did. The opening is a beautiful orange citrus blast that just knocked me off my feet. So elegant, refined and masculine. If you really like "orange notes" this is THE fragrance to buy. It is "sunshine" in a bottle. It lasts and lasts, I got many compliments. Worth every single penny. Thank you Francis Kurkdjian for creating this beautiful composition.
Powerful fruity opening with a blast of opulent orange blossom notes, heavy musks, spices and balsamic cedar. It then softens a bit on an ambery/balsamic accord, still round and quite sticky, mellow and soft, powdery and slightly talcum-dusted. The cedar-amber interplay comes clearer and brighter after a while, at the beginning they are quite glued together but then the texture loosens and you can feel them more clearly. I also detect an orris hint, a dusty base, and still a fresh, almost mentholated breeze. The very down base is slighty rubbery and latex-like. Undoutably a distinctive, unique and opulent fragrance, with the signature Kurdjian style. Personally I loved it at first, but after two or three "full tries" for a day or so, it gets a bit boring the smell is fine, it's just a bit "too much". Almost cloying. But if you love it, then it's deal. Monster persistence (it just survived a thorough shower).
7,5/10
7,5/10
This is the gent who takes time to dress with care, has had his jaw sorted by the dentist, has cultivated good taste' in music and film, and still remains something of a bore.
A bracing, almost barbershop, proposition of orange blossom (veering more to the fruity side of its range) cut through with a peppery cedar, which is underlined with the smells-like-skin musk that makes Lumiere Noir pour homme such a success. The cedar is a sharp stab at the start and then retires gracefully to the background. However, later in the wear, one gets the unwelcome impression of the kind of airbrush chemicals that plague sports editions of mainstream perfumes. APOM remains in the nice try' category, pleasant and a bit too cool for its own good. Suits casual use, though.
A bracing, almost barbershop, proposition of orange blossom (veering more to the fruity side of its range) cut through with a peppery cedar, which is underlined with the smells-like-skin musk that makes Lumiere Noir pour homme such a success. The cedar is a sharp stab at the start and then retires gracefully to the background. However, later in the wear, one gets the unwelcome impression of the kind of airbrush chemicals that plague sports editions of mainstream perfumes. APOM remains in the nice try' category, pleasant and a bit too cool for its own good. Suits casual use, though.
Amber & Cedar & Orange Blossom -- it glistens and glimmers, and is certainly endearing; it definitely has its charms, but unfortunately I just cannot see this as a very signature scent.
old fashioned, classic feel with poor longevity
Unfortunately is a no for me. Classic feel orange blossom with an old fashioned essence and below average longevity. Mostly for matured men in my opinion. It reminds me a little of ADP colognia assoluta which i also don't like and a little bit of Robert Piguet's one, i think notes or bois bleu (although Piguet's one launched later than that)
For my taste it's a waste of money, too expensive and while reminds of other stuff kinda unoriginal.
Pros: classic feel
Cons: unoriginal, old fashioned, poor longevity, too expensive!!"
Unfortunately is a no for me. Classic feel orange blossom with an old fashioned essence and below average longevity. Mostly for matured men in my opinion. It reminds me a little of ADP colognia assoluta which i also don't like and a little bit of Robert Piguet's one, i think notes or bois bleu (although Piguet's one launched later than that)
For my taste it's a waste of money, too expensive and while reminds of other stuff kinda unoriginal.
Pros: classic feel
Cons: unoriginal, old fashioned, poor longevity, too expensive!!"
Orange+amber. That's it. Nice to smell and wear but very boring because of the linearity.
Sadened, by this after all i loved Lumiere Noire Pour Homme and Absolute Pour Le Soir my MFK - this is quite simply a disaster, orange blossom/flower seems to the only ingridient in perfumery that turns my stomach - and i had a such a bad nausea with his just like bulgari black, after the initial 3 hours or so - it does get better, the cedar crisps the fragrance for a bit and we do get a hint of the MFK signature drydown as featured in absolute pour le soir - however, this radiates back and forth between the nauseating amber-flower combo - i am thankful that i was given 6 samples of APOM when i bought APLS and LNPH from the MFK line, had i bought it it would have straight would have become a toilet spray, i was also given an APOM room spray as well- i just hope it is not disaster like this EDT.
Sweet gentleness.
Carefree but full of deep feelings.
Smiling mildly, being consolatory - a medicine against angst and weltschmerz.
Carefree but full of deep feelings.
Smiling mildly, being consolatory - a medicine against angst and weltschmerz.
I really wanted to like APOM, and based on the notes I really should like it... That said, I am glad I did not blind buy a full bottle, as I actually loathe the stuff. I find the scent very cloying and not at all what I expected. I get an annoying blend of artificial smelling orange and amber with musk mixed in for good measure. I like orange and I like amber, but not when combined in APOM for some reason. Projection is quite good here and so is longevity. Bottom line is APOM is not the worst scent I have smelled, not even close. It *is*, however, one of the most disappointing scents I have sampled though. Two big thumbs down and 1.5 out of 5 stars from me.
This one is all about orange blossom,amber and cedar though they are blended together seamlessly. I sprayed a shot to my chest and both wrists and have been enveloped in a halo of warm orange blossom amber.
It is warm and slightly sweet and powdery and has the same ethereal nature as LNPH but this projects more and I have gotten about nine hours plus and it's still going.
This scent really is heavenly and it seems to blossom on the skin. It gives you a rich seductive glow and the woods seem to make the scent more masculine by deepening the feeling of the amber/orange blossom.
Anyone who loves Aqua Di Palma, Neroli and barbershop type scents should check this one out as it is gorgeous. This would make a great Spring/Summer fragrance for that out of the shower into the Summer Sun feeling.
It is warm and slightly sweet and powdery and has the same ethereal nature as LNPH but this projects more and I have gotten about nine hours plus and it's still going.
This scent really is heavenly and it seems to blossom on the skin. It gives you a rich seductive glow and the woods seem to make the scent more masculine by deepening the feeling of the amber/orange blossom.
Anyone who loves Aqua Di Palma, Neroli and barbershop type scents should check this one out as it is gorgeous. This would make a great Spring/Summer fragrance for that out of the shower into the Summer Sun feeling.
APOM for men is certainly a well made long lasting Amber fragrance from the opening all the way to the end (7-8 hours after application). It is comparable to AMBER 114 by HdP but it's less complexed and rich/deep, so rather straightforward I would say. For lovers of amber this is a must-try. I am not a fun of Amber myself and APOM didn't convert me.
I'm definitely not a fan of white flowers and expecially orange flowers but APOM PH is quite a special one. It opens with a masterfully executed orange flowers note to quickly evolve into a woody/musky base that while it's incredibly simple at the same time it clearly speaks of quality. The cedarwood is never overdone or overwhelming while the musk is joined by a powdery/sweet vibe that's perfectly blended with the rest.
APOM is mannered, elegant and a tad androgynous. It remarks its presence with a subtile, but definitely noticeable, voice but while I can't deny it's a successful composition, is nowhere close being among my favorite deliveries by the incredibly talented Francis Kurkdjian. Not for me...
APOM is mannered, elegant and a tad androgynous. It remarks its presence with a subtile, but definitely noticeable, voice but while I can't deny it's a successful composition, is nowhere close being among my favorite deliveries by the incredibly talented Francis Kurkdjian. Not for me...