MAISON FRANCIS KURKDIJAN AQUA UNIVERSALIS

Lily-of-the-Valley, Amalfi Lemon, Bergamot, Musk, Orange Blossom, Orange, Woodsy Notes

On paper, this sounds like something that I would love, which is why I purchased a sample! 

I love Lily-of-the-Valleys. Not only do they look pretty/dainty and smell great, but they are also my birth flower. This fragrance also has a profile I gravitate towards clean, fresh, citrus, and light. 

However, I'm disappointed. It's a pretty perfume but relatively lackluster and somewhat astringent. It smells like a cleaning agent that will cause headaches with its sourness and overwhelming, artificial clean smell. 

I had this issue with Blanche, too. At the time, I pointed the blame at its aldehyde notes, and then I brushed away every fragrance with aldehyde notes. 

Whether or not the fragrance explicitly states there are aldehydes, you can't escape it. Aldehydes naturally occur in ingredients like citrus peel, vanilla, or rose, all of which are present in almost EVERY perfume. They also add a desirable je ne sais quoi, "a special shimmering bright quality to floral fragrances and lighten and refresh woody notes."

Although I've been avoiding it, it's also been under my nose this whole time.

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Who would wear this: a female Korean office worker that wears light-colored tweed, is always on a diet even though they're already 50kg and tall, has her hair body wave permed, and wears matte pink/mauve lipstick. Fresh-faced, clean, poised. Chanel Girl. 

Celebrity: this is coming from someone who doesn't listen to BLACKPINK, and is solely basing this off how the member looks/the aura they exude. Jennie would wear this. 

If this fragrance was a dog: a Bichon Frisé.

Longevity: great, this is an MFK perfume after all...

Sillage: intimate.