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Roses de Mai Marathon: A La Rose

Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s A la rose is another fragrance I own in its hair mist format, so my thoughts on that may not align with anyone else’s experience with the “real” fragrance in eau de parfum. However, much of what I experience does generally follow the listed notes, although the scent doesn’t last as long or carry as far (at least, according to my own perceptions).

The brand’s website describes the fragrance notes of the eau de parfum thus: sweet pea accord, Damascena rose oil, violet flower accord, centifolia rose absolute, and musks. Fragrantica leaves out the sweet pea accord and lists additional notes of orange and bergamot among the top notes, magnolia in the heart notes, and cedar in the base notes. Interestingly, those are the very notes listed for the hair mist on the website, so there seems to be some confusion.

Nevertheless, I sprayed some of the hair mist on my arm as well as my hair, to try to trace its development. The hair mist definitely has a nice citrus opening, more sweet than sharp, due to the orange note. Then comes the rose, and it is a pretty, delicate, soft rose. It is a bit powdery, which I attribute to the violet note, but not much — just a bit of violet peeking out from under the roses. Side note: some gardeners grow violets as a groundcover under their roses; violets spread easily in locations where they are happy, their heart-shaped dark green leaves are very attractive; and they keep more aggressive weeds away from the roses.

A la rose is a light, sweet, classic rose that presents itself in pastel shades, not the richer reds or flashy orangey corals. It has the prettiest pink, gold and white label on the bottle:

Bottle and box of rose-scented hair mist A la rose

A la rose hair mist, by Maison Francis Kurkdjian

The combination of pink, white, and gold (or yellow) were the colors we used for our wedding thirty years ago, echoing my engagement ring; I love that combination. And can we just pause a moment to appreciate the French phrase “Brume parfumante cheveux”? That sounds so much fancier than “hair mist” — the same way “patisserie” sounds so much more elegant than “bakery.”

Regardless of language, A la rose hair mist is delightful. I’m not sure I would ever feel the need to buy the (expensive) eau de parfum, because I have so many classic, rose-centric fragrances and the hair mist is, by comparison, much lower priced. I also like experimenting with the hair mists that some brands now sell, as they offer a different scent experience: softer, more subtle, maybe more evanescent, certainly romantic. On the other hand, if you decide to try this, it’s worth looking up details of the different versions of the fragrance, as they may be slightly different and that could matter to you.

I don’t own any other Maison Francis Kurkdjian fragrances, do you have any favorites? And he has been a very prolific perfumer; the list of perfumes he has created for other brands is extensive, and covers virtually every price point, from the bargain basement/bargain beauty range to the ultra-expensive. Do you own any of his other creations?

Featured images from: http://www.franciskurkdjian.com.

12 thoughts on “Roses de Mai Marathon: A La Rose”

  2. I am a Francis Kurkdjian fan; however, I’ve not sampled A la Rose. I’ve never been a rose-centric perfume fan but I would love to sniff his creation. You make it sound wonderful. I own and love Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s Baccarat Rouge 540 and Grand Soir. Other perfumes he created that I own are Acqua di Parma Iris Nobile; a few of the Elie Saabs including Le parfum EDP Intense and Essence No 2 Gardenia and No 3 Amber are faves; Indult Tihota; Jean Paul Gaultier Classique Intense; and Narciso Rodriguez For Her EDP. I suppose you could consider me a fan of his perfumes!

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  3. I don’t like the perfumer himself, but regardless of that, there is just a few of his perfumes that I like, Ironically, none of those he created for his own brand.
    Miss Charming is the only perfume I actually wear these days (from a ScentBird decant). I used to like and wear Elisabeth Arden Green Tea, but haven’t had any in the last 12 years, I think.

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  5. That does sound very appealing. I haven’t tried a hair mist. Can’t think if I’ve ever seen one on the shelves. I can certainly see the attraction, though, especially for someone with long hair that swishes around the face.
    MFK has been very prolific, and quite a few are favourites, especially Fragile, one of my desert island perfumes, and not forgetting NR For Her ❤️ One that I didn’t realise was created by him is Lanvin Rumeur, which seemed to fall into the abyss. I had two bottles of that, and my daughter had one also (she was living half the world away at the time). I think I’ll check out ebay. . .

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  6. Great write-up! Have to agree, “brume parfumante cheveux” sounds so elegant. Francis Kurkdjian is such a talented perfumer. I love many of his creations, from designer (for example, Elie Saab Le Parfum) to his own brand (his ouds are top-quality).

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