Maison Francis Kurkdjian Aqua Universalis

5 Reviews

1. 

   dreadfulStork9

   Reply

   I’m reviewing an MFK Aqua Universalis Forte sample I purchased from Luckyscent

   I’m not sure what it is about Lily of the Valley, but I just love it in perfumes! Even as a teenager I loved floral scents like Estee Lauder Pleasures which is very heavy on the Lily of the Valley. I like, enjoy and own many gourmand perfumes, but to be honest “real” perfumes to me are of the floral variety. In my mind it seems more natural for us to adorn ourselves in floral oils than food scented ones. I wish florals were more in trend and less likely to be considered “old lady” because I really enjoy floral perfumes over gourmand. And Aqua Universalis Forte is no exception. This perfume is similar to Estee Lauder Pleasures and Ralph Lauren Romance. It is a big, big white floral and not much else. It’s springtime in a bottle. All sunshine, no clouds. It’s Lily of the Valley slapping you in the face, but you like it.

   It CAN be screechy and shrill in the beginning, so be prepared. It also borders on smelling like a cleaning product; I think quality ingredients pull it off the ledge. Perhaps it’s more like a great smelling shampoo or hairspray than cleaning products. It’s long lasting and will definitely make others wonder what you’re wearing. Although it’s a big white floral, it still manages to be unique and interesting. In my opinion, Aqua Universalis Forte is very feminine in the traditional sense. For instance, Baccarat Rouge 540 is VERY unisex and I can truly see both men and women easily wearing it. AUF on the other hand would probably not appeal to most men, but some might like it for themselves.

   I don’t think the $275 price tag is justified, although I could see myself purchasing a bottle. I still think Pleasures is the reigning queen of big white florals and nothing has ever been able to change my mind.

2. 

   innocentPudding9

   Reply

   If you’ve ever had a sniff of Demeter’s ‘Pure Soap’ then know that you’re over halfway to discovering what ‘Aqua Universalis’ smells like! Granted when I spritzed this on the inside of the card sample holder it came in, I literally had to move it across the room to escape the scent. For some reason on contact with paper or card it morphes into a very ‘shrill’ fragrance, very pungent like pine needles. On my wrist however it loses the shrill note and just becomes some kind of lemon-jasmine detergent soap, albeit a very upscale bar of it! And yes like other MFK scents it has longevity…I spritzed almost 11 hours ago and it has only just started to wear off.
   I can appreciate there are many who will like or love this (as one glance at Fragrantica’s review section proved) but there’s absolutely no way I could wear this. I’m guessing it just doesn’t work with my body chemistry.
   Luckily I paid next to nothing for it, you can purchase small sample sizes directly from the MFK website to try out and see for yourself without breaking the bank. From what I’ve tried out so far I highly recommend Baccarat Rouge 540 and also Satin Mood which is fairly similar to 540 but slightly heavier on the ‘oud’ note.

   Selena x

   ~ My HG list ~

   (As I’ve sampled 100s of skin, hair and m/u products over the last decade and a half, I thought it might be useful to share my top 10 must-have products, subject to change if and when I come across something more effective. I love constantly trying out new stuff – usually sample sizes via e-bay, also plenty courtesy of a friend who works at Sephora) 

   1. Hair Loss Treatment: ‘Divine Herbal’ – Hair Oil
   2. Lip Balm: ‘Nuxe’ – Reve De Miel Lip Balm
   3. Pigmentation + Anti-Ageing Treatment: ‘Divine Herbal’ – Facial Treatment Serum
   4. Cleanser: ‘Paula’s Choice’ – Skin Balancing Cleanser
   5. Concealer: ‘Mac’ – Studio Finish Concealer
   6. Lash Growth Serum: ‘Divine Herbal’ – Divinelash
   7. Foundation/SPF: ‘Juice Beauty’ – Stem Cellular Repair (warm glow)
   8. Foot File/Callus/Heel Treatment – ‘Microplane’ – Colossal Pedicure Rasp Foot File
   9. Ingrown Hair Treatment – ‘Priva Shave’ – Post Hair Removal Treatment
   10. Hand Cream: ‘Origins’ – Make A Difference Rejuvenating Hand Treatment 

3. 

   forsakenMallard2

   Reply

   I usually like Francis Kurkdjian fragrances but sadly this one evokes no emotions or associations in me. It is a clean, light, airy fragrance that has an uncanny resemblance to your ordinary 4711 when it’s wet, and some clean LOTV shows up its serene face during the heart notes. It has good lasting power, and also a slight rubbery accord that all Maison Francis Kurkdjian fragrances produce on my skin – must be a body chemistry thing. 2.5

4. 

   crummyOtter0

   Reply

   I wasn’t sure whether to give this a “4” or a “1”. It is a nice, tastefully done crisp scent. This smells very much like expensive soap and is actually very nice EXCEPT it is highly allergy inducing for me. It’s interesting the previous reviewer also mentioned Cristalle. Cristalle also has always been one of those scents I admire, but sets off major allergic reactions (migraines). This is well done, but definitely one you need to sample–preferably more than once– before you purchase (it’s also very expensive).

5. 

   eagerCardinal3

   Reply

   Fabulous!! I did not want to like this. It was touted at Fragrantica as laundry/dryer sheet scent. Yeah, maybe,,but it’s so much more on the skin. A ginny, sparkling, clean scent,,,that seems to be long lasting for a cologne. It’s for the time you can’t decide what perfume fits the bill that day. It used to be Cristalle for me,,,but I think this will replace that.
   Notes: Sicilian lemon,Lily of the valley, Orange blossom,and musky woods.
   Other scents I could really go for: APOM pour femme,,and Luminiere pour Femme. Great offerings!!