• About
  • Login to comment
    • Facebook
    • RSS
    • Twitter

Now Smell This

a blog about perfume

Menu ▼
  • Perfume Reviews
  • New Perfumes
  • Perfumers
  • Perfume Houses
  • Shop for perfume
  • Resources

Maison Francis Kurkdjian Pluriel Feminin ~ perfume review

Posted by Robin on 12 August 2014 16 Comments

Maison Francis Kurkdjian Pluriel féminin, brand image

Francis Kurkdjian is arguably the first perfumer to come out of the traditional fragrance & flavor company "system" and make a real success of a brand under his own name.1 Maison Francis Kurkdjian debuted in 2009, and it's far from an obscure niche brand — I can find the fragrances at my local mall, in Neiman Marcus, where they currently occupy prime real estate on the fragrance counter (and I am told they are big sellers).

Pluriel is the latest duo. The women's, Pluriel Féminin, is styled as a "grand, modern floral bouquet",2 and I'd say it lives up to its billing. The start is bright and citrusy, and the "floral bouquet of Florentine iris, rose, jasmin, muguet and orange flower", does, as advertised, seem to unfold flower by flower before evolving into a soft, lightly sweet blended floral. Likewise as advertised, it's entirely modern, that is, it's more clean than not, and the sillage is relatively quiet. It's not soapy, or drowning in white musk, but there's nothing indolic or heavy — Pluriel goes for radiance over depth or richness. Old-school, vintage-fiend perfumistas might prefer otherwise, but Pluriel is adaptable to modern life (and modern offices) in a way that the classic grand floral bouquets (Joy!) are not.

The base is a pale musky woods, with "chypre accents" of patchouli and vetiver. It's also modern: the patchouli adds a touch of darkness but not much else, and it's dry but not at all earthy. Pluriel is feminine but not what I'd call sexy, and has a velvety, lightly powdered finish.

Pluriel reminded me right away of Jour D’Hermès. They smell nothing alike, and the floral notes in Pluriel, unlike in Jour D’Hermès, are distinct and recognizable. But my conclusions about Jour D’Hermès — "...easy-to-wear elegance, gorgeously joyful or joyfully gorgeous" and "still more ethereal than not" — could as easily apply to Pluriel. Pluriel could also be the more sophisticated, somewhat older (and wealthier) cousin of Carven Le Parfum, another of Kurkdjian's recent floral offerings.

Verdict: Pluriel fits nicely into the Maison Francis Kurkdjian line, which emphasizes craftsmanship and quality materials over the kinds of oddball little numbers that some perfumistas (yes, me included) prefer when they shell out for a niche fragrance. Still, it's lovely. If you're looking for a mixed floral that you can wear anywhere, anytime, do give it a shot. It's expensive but not outrageous (depending, of course, on your definition of outrageous, but at least they've kept the cost under $200). If Pluriel eventually comes in the Globe Trotter refills (three 11 ml sprays), I might have to find somebody to split a trio with me. 

For another opinion, do see the review at The Candy Perfume Boy.

Maison Francis Kurkdjian Pluriel féminin packaging

Maison Francis Kurkdjian Pluriel Féminin is available in 70 ml Eau de Parfum ($195). For buying information, see the listing for Maison Francis Kurkdjian under Perfume Houses.

1. Or have I forgotten someone? Do comment if I have. Francis Kurkdjian trained at ISIPCA and still works for the fragrance & flavor company Takasago.

2. See the Pluriel video.

You might also like...

Elie Saab Le Parfum L’Eau Couture ~ fragrance review
Carven L’Eau de Toilette ~ fragrance review
Maison Francis Kurkdjian APOM Pour Femme & Amyris Femme ~ fragrance reviews

Filed Under: perfume talk
Tagged With: floral, francis kurkdjian, maison francis kurkdjian

Advertisement


16 Comments

Leave a comment, or read more about commenting at Now Smell This. Here's our privacy policy, and a handy emoticon chart.

  1. lucasai says:
    12 August 2014 at 2:58 pm

    I have just received samples of masculin Pluriel and feminin Pluriel. The male one shall be my scent for tomorrow. I’m looking forward to testing them.

    Log in to Reply
    • Robin says:
      12 August 2014 at 3:54 pm

      Hope you’ll like them! I have not spent much time with the men’s.

      Log in to Reply
  2. scentfromabove says:
    12 August 2014 at 9:45 pm

    I really do like Maison F. Kurkdjian’s line of fragrances. They are so well done. I keep saying it, but I have yet to purchase from the line. I remember I got a sample of APOM and just fell in love with it. The next bottle of perfume I by will be from this line. I am sure that Pluriel is a lovely fragrance.

    Log in to Reply
    • scentfromabove says:
      12 August 2014 at 9:46 pm

      edit: buy, not by

      Log in to Reply
    • Robin says:
      13 August 2014 at 8:22 am

      I don’t own any of them either…

      Log in to Reply
  3. Juniper says:
    12 August 2014 at 10:43 pm

    My perfume lady at NM recently sent me these. Both times I wore the Pluriel Feminin I kept thinking it smelled like something I already have…then I realized what it was reminding me of: Narciso Rodriguez. Does anyone else get that?

    Log in to Reply
    • Robin says:
      13 August 2014 at 8:23 am

      Ah, and that is a perfume I cannot smell, so I’ll be no help at all.

      Log in to Reply
  4. APassionateJourney says:
    13 August 2014 at 12:00 am

    WHYYYYY couldn’t I be born a billionaire?! I want to try this soooo badly! I still have to purchase his Absolue PLS! :)

    Log in to Reply
    • Robin says:
      13 August 2014 at 8:24 am

      Yeah. Or why can’t they show up at TJ Maxx once in awhile!

      Log in to Reply
  5. annemarie says:
    13 August 2014 at 3:26 am

    $195 for 70 mls is pushing the needle into the outrageous zone on my perfo-meter. And I would be paying hefty international shipping fees as well.

    Fortunately for me, easy-wearing elegance and social grace can be readily obtained from Chanel, Dior, Hermes … all sorts of places … Everyone has their favourite in this genre; L’Ambre des Merveilles is mine.

    Heck, you could buy a dozen bottles of SJP’s Lovely for the cost of one bottle Pluriel. (Oops … did I say that … ?!) :)

    Log in to Reply
    • Helle says:
      13 August 2014 at 4:04 am

      It’s definitely in the outrageous zone for me, even without hefty shipping. The one good thing coming out of the high prizing, is that it makes me appreciate more what I already have, like you give an example of in your comment, Annemarie.

      F K’s offerings usually don’t work for me, I think I’m anosmic to some key kind of musk. Even so, I really appreciate the opportunity to smell his work from the different angles of mainstream and niche. I hope someone mentions another perfumer who’s in the same category!

      Log in to Reply
      • annemarie says:
        13 August 2014 at 4:20 am

        I have trouble smelling some of his stuff, niche especially.

        Log in to Reply
    • APassionateJourney says:
      13 August 2014 at 5:28 am

      $195 for a 70 ml is a steal for me! Especially when other niche houses charge more for less! :)

      Log in to Reply
      • annemarie says:
        13 August 2014 at 5:43 am

        They do indeed. And there are far more expensive addictions than perfume! I don’t like electronic devices much so when I wanted a Samsung tablet earlier this year, I bought the cheapest I could find. It cost a fair bit more than $195.

        Log in to Reply
    • Robin says:
      13 August 2014 at 8:27 am

      Yeah. It is expensive. I think the multitude of $250+ fragrances have changed my own bar for “outrageous”.

      Will also say that at least this smells expensive…so many expensive fragrances don’t! And I do think anyone smelling this and Lovely blind would correctly pick the one that was spendy.

      Log in to Reply
      • annemarie says:
        13 August 2014 at 4:45 pm

        Yes, surely good raw materials make a difference.

        Log in to Reply

Leave a reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Advertisement

Search

From NST at Twitter

  • "Cult Shop: the perfumer drawing on her Māori heritage" (financial times) https://t.co/9HmkvBfcvm,
  • Imaginary Authors' limited edition Decisions, Decisions from 2020 is available again for a limited time… https://t.co/CL55QrsyTB,
  • "Scent-a Fe: New Mexico could be first state with official aroma" (guardian) https://t.co/zt7NB3n20L,
  • "The Smell of Magic: A new crop of scents reference long-held beliefs about the connection between perfume and the… https://t.co/6OeiuFOYtf,
  • "Can 'perfume regression' solve your stress problem? I put it to the test" (cosmopolitan via yahoo) https://t.co/SRtzlLLFd4,

Browse by...

Topic

Perfume talk New fragrances
Shopping Books :: News
Body products Home fragrance
Polls Another subject

Date

January 2023
December 2022
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
August 2022

Prior months

Author

Robin Jessica
Angela Kevin
Erin Guest Author

Tag

Celebrity perfumes
Cheap thrills
Collector bottles
Perfumista tip series
Video
The complete tag index

Recent reviews

Atelier Cologne Love Osmanthus
Moschino Toy Boy
Arquiste Misfit
Diptyque Eau Capitale
Zoologist Bee
Parfum d’Empire Immortelle Corse
Comme des Garcons Series 10 Clash
Frédéric Malle Rose & Cuir
L’Artisan Parfumeur Le Chant de Camargue
Yves Saint Laurent Grain de Poudre
Régime des Fleurs Chloë Sevigny Little Flower
Chanel 1957
Gallivant Los Angeles
Amouage Portrayal Woman

Blogroll

Bois de Jasmin
Grain de Musc
Perfume Posse
The Non-Blonde
More blogs...

Perfumista lists

100 fragrances every perfumista should try
And 25 more fragrances every perfumista should smell
50 masculine fragrances every perfumista should try
26 vintage fragrances every perfumista should try
25 rose fragrances every perfumista should try
11 Cheap Perfumes Beauty Outsiders Love

Favorite posts

The Great Perfume Reduction Plan
Why I Love Old School Chypres
New to perfume and want to learn more?
How to make fragrance last through the day
Fragrance concentrations: sorting it all out
On reformulations, or why your favorite perfume doesn’t smell like it used to
How to get fragrance samples
Perfume for Life: How Long Will Your Fragrance Collection Last?

Upcoming

List of upcoming Friday projects

4 January ~ damage poll
4 February ~ winter reading poll

TBA April ~ swap meet

Back to Top

Home
About Now Smell This :: Privacy Policy

Shop for Perfume Online
Perfume Shopping in New York
Perfume Shopping in London
Perfume Reviews
New Perfumes
General Perfume Articles
The Monday Mail

Glossary of Perfume Terms
Perfume FAQ
Perfume Links
Perfume Books
Fragrance Awards

Noses ~ Perfumers A-E :: F-K :: L-S :: T-Z

Perfume Houses A-B :: C :: D-E :: F-G
H-J :: K-L :: M :: N-O :: P :: Q-R :: S
T :: U-Z

Copyright © 2005-2023 Now Smell This. All rights reserved.