halfwhiteboy

Aquatics are probably my least liked fragrance type, so seeing "Aqua" on the label instantly made me skip this all those times I was perusing MFK fragrances in department stores. But then we got this bottle - almost still full - from a fellow fraghead as part of a bundled sale. When it arrived, I tried it and boy, was I missing something the entire time! Simply put, Maison Francis Kurkdjian 's Aqua Vitae Forte is beautiful. It's a very smooth blend that opens with a bright, lemony citrus, with an ylang-ylang note just bubbling under, patiently waiting for its time to shine. Much like how Kurkdjian tamed oud's pungency and made it more approachable in Oud Velvet Mood , the lemon here has been polished, its inherent sharpness sanded over, and while still bright, now has a comforting warmth to it. It's lovely.