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CBMUSK from the CB I Hate Perfume Reinvention series ~ fragrance review

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Musk Deer

After reviewing Serge Lutens’ Muscs Koublaï Khan, I decided to explore perfumes with musk as the main attraction and started to read about real musk. Writing about CBMUSK on his website, perfumer Christopher Brosius of CB I Hate Perfume says: “True Tonkin Musk no longer exists in the contemporary world…. So this is my own interpretation of what I’d always imagined real musk to smell of. Whether it does or does not, I cannot know.”

Fortunately, Tonkin musk does exist because musk deer (Moschus moschiferus) still survive. Unfortunately, the musk they produce is obtained illegally by poachers and sold for use in traditional medicines and, to a lesser extent these days, in perfumery…

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Serge Lutens Muscs Koublai Khan ~ fragrance review

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Kublai Khan portrait

Grandson of Genghis Khan, reformer, warrior, Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, Yüan Dynasty emperor — Koublaï Khan was a powerhouse and his name evokes long-ago-and-far-away exoticism. But when I look at Koublaï Khan’s portrait (from the National Palace Museum in Taipei) I see an approachable man, someone who loves to eat, a man who seems amused and ready to giggle, someone I can imagine gossiping with over a cup of milk tea (or something stronger).

What did I expect from Serge Lutens’ Muscs Koublaï Khan? I imagined a scent that was a bit strange, a rough-and-tough perfume with a strong “personality”, a perfume of Mongolian sturdiness coupled with Chinese finesse; I expected something contradictory and complex (like Koublaï Khan himself, who was an admirer of Buddhism but who spent much of his life invading and conquering lands and peoples).

Les Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido does not reveal the ingredients for Muscs Koublaï Khan online, but I found a company description of the perfume from 2000…

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Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier Sanguine Muskissime ~ perfume review

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Maitre Parfumeur et Gantier Sanguine Muskissime

Sanguine Muskissime was one of Maître Parfumeur et Gantier’s original fragrance offerings when the line was established in 1988. It is composed of bergamot, mandarin, peach, blood orange, grapefruit, lemon, jasmine, musk and sandalwood.

I first tried Sanguine Muskissime several years ago, and was not overly fond of it. A sample recently came my way again and I thought I would give it another go. For a few minutes, I thought it might work for me this time…

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Fragrance review: Lorenzo Villoresi Musk

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Lorenzo Villoresi Musk perfume

Of all the Villoresi fragrances, Musk is by far my favorite. Perhaps the least astringent, and one of the easier to wear fragrances, Musk by Lorenzo Villoresi has notes of galbanum, flowers, cardamom, geranium, rose, musk, amber, sandalwood, rosewood and oakmoss.

Musk begins with nearly all of its key players present — I can immediately detect the floral notes juxtaposed against a warm woody base, highlighted by the sandalwood and musk, and sweetened by a touch of amber. What sets this scent apart from other musk fragrances is the following: 1) I don’t get that hairspray effect as I do with many other musk scents, 2) this is not an animalic musk — no fecal, cumin or civet notes, and 3) the floral notes (especially the rose) create a rather bright and soft top bouquet that is quite unusual in a musk composition…

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