The only scent by Parfums MDCI I have tried previously was La Belle Hèlène by Bertrand Duchaufour, which I tried for obvious reasons (it’s a Duchaufour!). Other than that, Parfums MDCI seemed to be one of those lines to better steer clear of, because of the pricepoint and ridiculously expensive and hugely unnecessary, if pretty, packaging.
Thankfully, the MDCI perfumes are available without the expensive bust stoppers as well, the pricepoint is still far from economic though.
The lovely Vanessa of Bonkers about Perfume gifted me with a sample of Promesse de l’Aube and I must say, I was very happy to receive it, only because I don’t want to spend money on something, does not mean, I don’t want to try it. 🙂
Promesse de l’Aube was created by Francis Kurkdjian and includes notes of mandarin, lemon, ylang-ylang, jasmine, sandalwood, tonka bean and vanilla.
Truth be told, I have not had a very successful relationship with Kurkdjian creations. His mainstream releases like Narciso Rodriguez For Her and Elie Saab Le Parfum are too loud and screechy for me, his niche line either too clean (Aqua Universalis, Absolue pour le Matin) or too dirty (Absolue pour le Soir), all in all, I had no luck with Francis so far.
Promesse de l’Aube is an exeption of this rule. A lovely, sweet, gourmand jasmine perfume, Promesse de l’Aube has me enchanted.
Officially dubbed a floral-oriental, I find Promesse very deep in gourmand territory, but I like that.
Starting with a fresh, but sweet already, burst of mandarin and lemon, the heart is made up of blooming, white, sweet jasmine and soft and creamy ylang-ylang. This stage is a bit heady if you apply too much, conservative application brings a lovely sillage and the feeling of standing in the middle of an exotic garden in full bloom.
The drydown is carried by tonka and vanilla over sandalwood, very smooth and creamy, the sweetness of ylang ylang clinging on for a long time.
I get the impression of candied flowers when wearing Promesse de L’Aube, and what would have been an overly sweet white floral mess only a year ago, is now something I thoroughly enjoy. Promesse de L’Aube exudes happiness.
Whenever I wear it I am reminded of a lovely movie, set in a villa in Tuscany: Kenneth Branagh’s Shakespeare adaptation “Much Ado About Nothing”. The movie was shot at the Villa Vignamaggio, where I stayed on vacation myself several times, it is a beautiful place, I associate with happy times and that wonderfully uplifting movie.
Promesse de l’Aube works perfectly in bringing that time and that place back in my mind.
That sample will have to be meted out carefully in small doses, to make it last until I can go back.
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I might be afraid of white florals, but the notes in this one sound very pretty (and no, I haven’t found my Kurkidjan yet either…).
BTW, there is La Femme Bleue on my wrist today … (sample only 😦 – might be worth a partial bottle though…)
This one is quite unscary as white florals go. 🙂
Oh, La Femme Bleue – what do you think about it? *so curious*
I’m afraid, I like it very much, unfortunately… Cocoa and Vanille are a lovely company for iris here – but the scent is never really gourmand for me. Reviews mention citrus on the beginning, which I never get – but probably it’s that harshness I get and like on the start. For few minutes in the middle there is a strange note (?… – I have to investigate), but it disappears quickly and the drydown is one utterly feminine and elegant delight of iris with incense, only delicately sweetened. I spritzed it around 8.00 a.m. and the scent is slowly leaving me already (sigh…).
Not sure if this is good news… 😉 I will definitely try it in any case! Thanks for sharing your impressions!
Ahh interesting to hear that you’ve not had much luck with Kurkdjian fragrances – I just tried my first one recently (Cologne Pour Le Soir) and I really enjoyed it. This does sound lovely…and that bottle is just gorgeous.
This is really the first Kurkdjian I really enjoyed, but I have not tried everything he made of course.
Yay – so happy you like it! Your take on this one captures it perfectly. I also would liken it to a billowy lemon meringue pie. : – ) I agree that it is very deep in gourmand territory and requires a light touch. I wore it to a challenging meeting at a car manufacturer’s in Germany and felt on a comfy cloud throughout the day!
Now I see just what you mean about FK’s range being too clean or too dirty. Other ones I like of his include Guerlain Rose Barbare, Indult Isvaraya, Lady Vengeance, Kenzo Eau de Fleur de Magnolia and Iris Nobile. I see he also did Fleur du Male, so that one you do care for, certainly.
Oh yes, my beloved Iris Nobile is (jointly with someone else, I think) by Francis K. too, I forgot, and Fleur du Male too, so maybe I do like a few Kurkdjian scents after all. 😉
Thanks again for giving me Promesse!
It’s great your tastes have broadened, B. Do you think Honour Woman helped bring you round to white florals? It certainly made me realise how beautiful and non-screechy they can be.
I bet you have some lovely relaxing memories at that wonderful Tuscan villa. How lovely Promesse de l’Aube brings those back to you.
Yes, it did start with Honour indeed. 🙂 Meanwhile I think everything is worth trying, you never know…
That Villa is so beautiful, and the food was delicious too, they also make their own wine. Ahhh, I need to revisit some time…
This was perfect timing, I recieved a package from First in Fragrance this week and one of the complimentary samples is Promesse de l’Aube, I’ve been planning to try it tomorrow! (BTW, FinF really have big nice spray samples, it’s the first time I’ve ordered from them, I think I’m going to be a repeat customer 🙂 ). Fleur de Male was a recent favorite but otherwise I haven’t tried that many scents by Francis K. yet.
Hopefully the next package I’m expecting will contain Absolue pour le Soir- I don’t expect to like it, but I’ll find it interesting to smell something really dirty, if I recall correctly I read mr Persolaise quoting FK saying it contains genuine civet?!
Love the pictures! Much Ado About Nothing is on of my favorite movies (“The world must be peopled!” Denzel Washington!) and possibly my favorite Shakespeare-play.
I love First in Fragrance, the service is great and with these spray samples you have the chance to get to know a perfume (I’m no fan of dabber samples). Let me know how you like Promesse, Eva, okay?
Much Ado About Nothing is one of the most uplifting movies ever, it is so full of joy!
When I tried it today I didn’t immediately swoon, the I went outside ,in the wind and rain, and suddenly noticed I was enveloped in a cloud of flowers! The drydown is truly delicious, I think I get a lot of the vanilla. The whole scent is so smooth and ladylike, I will definitely use up my entire sample, don’t know about a FB yet though. I understand why mr Turin gave it a five in the Guide, although why he talks about it as a chypre I can’t understand, it’s definitely a floral-oriental to me!
I agree with CPB below that the bottles with the busts is a bit gaudy,”A promise of dawn” is a perfect name for this scent though.
I like the later stages better as well. There is another perfume from the line – Enlevement au Serail – that is a true chypre, it is amazingly beautiful. My review will come soon.
This one sounds really interesting, you can’t beat a good Floriental and the fact that you say it’s in ‘gourmand territory’ makes it sound like a must try.
On a less positive note, I have to say that I find the bottles really gaudy, that may sound odd because I ❤ the Mugler bottles and they are very showy, but there is something about the Parfums MDCI bottles that makes them come across as quite pretentious.
Re Francis Kurkdijan, did you ever try Fragile Eau de Parfum by Jean Paul Gaultier? It's in a similar style to Le Parfum but with tuberose and definitely less screechy.
P.S. That villa looks beautiful, Nigel and I were thinking Tuscany for our holiday next year, you've made me desperate to go now!
If I would ever consider buying a bottle of MDCI, I’d definitely take the bust-less version. 🙂
If you plan to go to Tuscany, you should really consider the Villa Vignamaggio, it is so romantic and beautiful there! It is in Greve in Chianti, the website is http://www.vignamaggio.it Allegedly Leonardo da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa there… (I’m not affiliated, just enthusiastic 😀 )
Ah, I didn’t know they did a bust-less version, that is much nicer!
Vila Vignamaggio is absolutely beautiful, I’ve spent the last hour looking @ the website, I think it may just that little bit too pricey for me, but it is definitely something to aspire to 😀
Well, it was a few years ago that I went there, prices have gone up… 😦
That seems to be the way with holiday places, we stayed in a lovely boutique hotel when we went to Paris a couple of years ago and it seems to have got pricier.
Vila Vignamaggio does look worth it though…
It is! I dream of going back! 🙂
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