Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540 Hair Mist

Where I got it

After ordering the perfume wardrobe set from Selfridges, I decided that I really like the Baccarat Rouge 540, but I really couldn’t afford a large bottle of it. So I decided to either get the hair mist from the smaller bottle. The hair mist is $122 for 70ml on Mecca, and the 35ml of perfume is $234. I actually have a thing for hair mists as they are mild and a fraction of the price of the EDP or EDT. I prefer something not too strong so I am not offensive to other people, but I still want to smell nice when people are around me. Therefore I find that scented body lotions and hair mists are perfect for me. You can get this from Mecca.co.nz if you are in New Zealand. If you are in Auckland, I would recommend going into the Mecca store – Sylvia Park, Queen Street, and Commercial Bay stores would have this perfume. If you have not tried this perfume before, try it on a piece of paper stick, take it away from you, and see how it wears for the rest of the day. You will be surprised!

What I got

This is the Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540 Hair Mist (70ml). With a light and floral, amber, and woody whisper, the Baccarat Rouge 540 scented hair mist leaves a delicate trace of the signature fragrance born of the encounter between Maison Francis Kurkdjian and Baccarat crystal manufacturer. This alcohol-free hair mist is gentle on the hair. It adds and enhances your hair’s shine as it protects from harsh outdoor conditions with a bright and floral scent. A sensual gesture, the Baccarat Rouge 540 hair mist is a flawless finish to style. Notes: Jasmine, saffron, cedar wood, ambergris. 

Hedione – This aromatic compound developed in the 1960s has become one of the most frequently used. When isolated, it evokes the floral and very fresh delicacy of jasmine, with a slight lemony facet, like a slice of lemon dipped in a glass. In its natural state, it comes into the composition of the scent of tea and jasmine, even if it is quite different, more airy, more luminous. In addition to this transparency and lightness, it binds other ingredients and adds freshness, volume and diffusion to a creation. Francis Kurkdjian refers to it as a breeze of petals.

AmbroxanTM – Obtained from sclareol, one of the natural constituents of clary sage. It was created in the 50s and gradually superseded ambergris, a natural excrement of the sperm whale. AmbroxanTM emulates its various amber, dry woody and mineral facets. It is a kind of super-potent woody note with a lingering sillage that adds a modern sensuality to any kind of composition. AmbroxanTM has spawned a large family of similar molecules, often called “amber woods”.

Cedar from Virginia – This is the typical smell that comes out when you sharpen a pencil: woody, dry, slightly spicy and creamy. This North American cedar, also called red cedar because of the color of its wood, belongs to the juniper family, Juniperus Virginiana. Several types of cedars are used in perfumery, but this one comes into play in the heart and base, which gives a kind of verticality to its woody theme. It is quite different from the other three main varieties used in perfumery, the drier Texas cedar, the animalic and leathery Atlas cedar or the smoky Chinese cedar.

Saffron – Coming from the pistil of a variety of crocuses, this most expensive spice in the world is nicknamed “red gold”. Natural saffron is not used in perfumery because it contains safrol, a highly allergenic compound. But its effect is reproduced with one of its derivatives, saffronal. Its very powerful perfume is bitter and slightly metallic, blowing hot and cold on the rest of the composition with also a leathery, tarred facet. Francis Kurkdjian likes to use it in the top layer of a fragrance to break the sweetness of citrus notes. It is often associated with Oud-based perfumes and amber accords.

Ingredients: AQUA (WATER); PEG-40 HYDROGENATED CASTOR OIL; PARFUM (FRAGRANCE); PENTYLENE GLYCOL; TETRASODIUM DISUCCINOYL CYSTINE; DICAPRYLYL ETHER; LAURYL ALCOHOL; GLYCERIN; ETHYLHEXYL METHOXYCINNAMATE; PANTHENOL; CHLORPHENESIN; DISODIUM EDTA; SODIUM BENZOATE; CITRIC ACID; ETHYLHEXYL SALICYLATE; BUTYL METHOXYDIBENZOYLMETHANE; TOCOPHERYL ACETATE; LIMONENE; LINALOOL; BHT; TOCOPHEROL.

How I find it

The packaging of this hair mist comes in a white box wrapped in plastic wrap. Inside the box, the glass bottle is snug and protected by white cardboard. The frosted glass bottle has a squarish shape and it has a gold-coloured, weighted lid. The hair mist is fine, but it feels and smells just like perfume. The thing I like about this fragrance is the gentle floral and lingering sweetness. It is feminine and sophisticated. It is not too sexy and not spicy. Notes are woody and ambery and it is a great fall/winter fragrance. The notes of this fragrance are not what I usually go for, as I usually prefer something light floral, green floral, citrus, and fresh. I usually prefer a spring or summery fragrance, but this is the first time I actually fell so in love with a woody, amber fragrance.

Then I learned that this is a molecular fragrance, which is an abstract fragrance where it doesn’t emulate well-known natural scents. Hence that is why the notes can be a little difficult to pinpoint. The molecules of this fragrance would cause the scent to be slightly different when it reacts to each person’s skin. Therefore I think this perfume would smell personal if it gets into contact with your skin instead of your clothes. I used this hair mist on my body and it works just the same. It is lighter than the EDP, but more like a body mist that has a really good sillage. It lingers on clothing a lot more than on the hair or skin. I use about 2 spritzes and it lasts for ages. After the entire day, I can still smell it on my clothes, but definitely not as intense if it was the actual fragrance.

Overall

Overall I love this scent and I would love to try other fragrances in his collection. My husband did mention that this is a strange scent on me and I asked him what did he find strange he said it’s not like my usual scents which are fresher and citrus. This one is sweet and quite intense. After about 10-15 minutes of wear, it settled down and started to smell quite pleasant and he hasn’t complained about the scent ever since. When I wear a fragrance I like to smell nice for myself and not necessarily for someone else. I don’t want to offend someone else, but I would also wear something that I think smells great and maybe only people who are in close proximity would smell.