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FUREFROGUEMAT – :
Musc tonkin is a Kiehl’s original Musc that is sold today with more body and depth. Not a single time i found it to be anything melon like, or fruity, or flowery. If Believing reviews on Kiehls original musc that its the closest thing to real tonkin, then this beats that. For anyone who mourned reformulation on KOM – go get this one. Describing the scent – hard to do. One must only try and decide.
Pneumvefe – :
Incredible tour de nuit, the experience here is for a night to the opera, the animal must be released carefully, among a formal suit with a fur coat, not a glacial musk, but the most animalistic, with some poison flowers on the edge of powdery, be ready to impress, go big or go home.
stas19782009 – :
Why doesn’t Fragrantica list all the notes in this .. .it’s not just “musk”.
BoweloxyHox – :
Woman Ironing by Pablo Picasso 1904
igo-fohu – :
At first I thought that this smelt nothing like musk – it was too floral and had an almost melon-like profile. After owning it for a while and trying to wear it in different ways, I discovered the “trick.” It involves just barely spritzing it – something that the high quality atomizer easily allows. Then, and only then, does it display a warm, animal if human skin-like profile. It’s also perfect for applying on top of other fragrances as it gives them a completely different, musky and sexy facet.
Now I’m glad I experimented with it and didn’t sell it. Absolutely perfect!!
Lyakusha – :
I’m with white witch on this one. I have never smelled muscs koublai khan, but I own and love Marlou’s L’animal Sauvage which I read is similar to MKK. I expected Musc Tonkin to be mane a step closer to MKK than l’animal sauvage, but that’s not what I got at all!
First I got a body odor type smell not unlike cumin, but far less rank. I loved that, and was ready for the development when it turned into…flowers. Lilac and tuberose, not what I expected. The reviews contrasted with the ingredient list reminds me of a “sugar & spice” party my friend threw at her house, actually. We all tried on a pheromone fragrance the sales lady told us would specifically interact with our skin to produce a unique scent. It smelled like a fruity musk, but it *was* a little different with each person.
In summary, I wasn’t looking for lilac & tuberose, so it’s a hard pass.
alecs31 – :
I wax back and forth on this one.
I see its potential for dirtying up florals or add dimensional depth to base a modern fragrance back close to a vintage symphonic counterpart.
On its own, it displays facets of true musk..a powderyness, leathery facet and a floral facet ..indicative of an aged musk. What makes this go askew or unsettling to me is the ambrette or scalp like warm skin thing undercurrent. A hint of human skin fused with animalic musk qualities. Its quality work..but for me..jury is still out on it being a vintage animalic fragrance lover…
txx630speagoessenda – :
Warm, sweet musk, powder, a smidgeon of orange, a dab of jasmine, a little bit of furry animalic wildness, a touch of sweat – this is a beautiful, complex fragrance. I bought a full bottle based on the sample I received, which I’d loved. And on first spray from the bottle, I was horrified. What the hell have I done, I wondered, feeling quite sick that I had wasted my money. Then I realised that it was probably fighting with the perfume I’d put on earlier in the morning. The next day, a fresh spray on clean skin – what a difference! This beauty does not play second fiddle, but I could see her sharing body space with, say, Salome – a spritz of one on one arm, a spritz of the other on the other arm – or perhaps a spicy vanilla. She is quite beautiful enough on her own though, that’s for sure. Love.
sqp733speagoessenda – :
This is more floral than musky, a friendly kitten compared to Muscs Koublai Khan and Salome. It’s also more feminine than the previously mentioned perfumes.
I detect civet, peach, and florals: violet and rose. This perfume can be a great introduction to animalics for those afraid of trying them.
Аликовна – :
Definitely getting the florals. Tuberose and aldehydes
limm – :
Musc Tonkin. I have a bottle of the EDP (not the limited edition parfum extrait pictured above). This penetrating beauty earns a well-warranted appreciation for its alluring impression of natural deer musk and the ability for it to make me feel elegant, regal, sensual, natural, warm, comfortable, confident and fortified.
Musc Tonkin’s one-note description truly compels me to read this as delicately sweet animalic musk. As I relax into this scent, it becomes a doe in heat frolicking among wild jasmine bushes (despite deer musk being derived from stags). As it fuses with my being it becomes of human flesh.
Initially I detect lactonic fruit nuances of apricot and a hint of melon — clean with a delicate ferment. A gentle bite of bitterness, metal, aquatic, ozonic like celery seed balances the musk as it rises. Rather reminiscent of civet, equally as rich, but softer and more refined, there is a sulfurous, nitric component, a little sour, fatty and salty like fresh human sweat; sweet mossy tar oddly meconium-like; tempered with spicy elegant petals like carnations and saffron. Chypre floral indeed. Fascinating. Beautiful.
Predecessors that come to mind: the animalic musky drydown of Opium vintage, the mysterious sulfurous cystine amino acid (crystalline amber) accord of Costume National Scent Intense, the enigmatic equine soapy floral-leather blend in Cuir de Russie. Yet somehow Musc Tonkin culminates into something quieter but still strong and even more corporeal. Lush and serene. Pregnant with possibilities.
21mixgun – :
I felt Musc Tonkin was something imminently worth owning. So I set about my desires to attain that which had become beyond a mere fancy; but an obsession. I sat nights, counting the drops of wax by each flicker, absolutely enthralled as I beheld my beauty. Her scent a sublime consolation taking me away in waves as the stars gazed our passions as we engaged. How can words describe this? What we have is surely more than uttered sounds. More like swords meeting in the hands of warriors, or the renewal of hope; a warm embrace in Siberia before we elope.
cheeenaddo – :
I wanted to love this, I really did. I love deep, rich musk, and everyone says this is a less feral version of MKK, which obviously made me want to smell it…
It’s boring. The musk is barely there. It’s overpowered by a stale sort of floral mish-mash that reminds me of a half-empty bottle of perfume from fifty years ago I found in the back of my grandma’s vanity. The whole thing just screamed: drug store classic!
Obviously, my reaction is likely just a body chemistry issue, so your mileage may vary!
LEK – :
I’m not usually one for musky fragrances but reading the comments about floral notes made me want to try it. Yes, it is musky but I completely agree that there are also floral notes. This musk is a nice deep, warm and comforting one. The smell of a fluffy wool and angora jumper you have been wearing all day. Good sillage and longevity.
k0s777 – :
I think musk is perceived differently by everyone. To me, this musk is half leather, half waxy old-fashioned soap. I also smell powdery white flowers. Oh, and it has an oddly salty note that you might notice now and again. It’s definitely quite special and unique – it’s worth a try, for sure.
mitrofan – :
There are lots of missing notes in the note description above and this fragrance has much more than just musk. On my skin, Musc Tonkin is a very floral Chypre smelling sensual, slightly powdery baby skin like with lots of floral undertone.
It opened with a somewhat sweet fruity citrus and Labdanum combo. I recognised something peachy, creamy, fatty, and lactonic that resembles the scent from Aldehyde C-14 mixed with Bergamot and Labdanum. I also smelled a distinct Civet note among other animalic musk mingling with some unidentifiable flowers. I also detected a hint of seaweed and somewhat metallic notes within. As the scent developed, there was a woodiness added to it and a mossy note became more noticeable in the late dry down.
I do not find this fragrance dirty like many people said; however, I do find it quite sexy as it sort of smell like warm human skin. As I have never smelled natural Tonkin Musk before, I do not know how closed this fragrance is resembling the real thing. Musc Tonkin has moderate sillage and quite long lasting on my cooler than average skin.
DarioKrmpoti – :
Musc Tonkin by Parfum d’Empire–I’m not a musk lover, but this is not your every day, the usual and boring, musk. It’s a super velvety animalic with an extreme intensity, warm and sensual scent. It develops slowly and every 7 to 10 minutes it reaches my nostrils forcing me to take a deep breath, inhaling the most beautiful mixture of powdery notes, rose petals and possibly violets. I don’t need to smell my arm–the scent is all around me. It doesn’t matter if I apply a little, then it’s soft and shy but it grows with time and it becomes mature and round. If I apply a lot, it’s intense from the start but it never gets too animalic and dirty. I even wish it was a little dirty, but to my surprise this scent is heavenly the way it is. Oh, and it’s extremely sexy–warms up my skin and my senses, wishing to be touched, kissed… I love how it plays games with my imagination.
I would say it’s a unisex fragrance but it does lean more toward the feminine side because of the soft floral notes. The longevity is about 8-9 hours (which is a lot on me), and sillage is pretty huge. It’s not loud or overwhelming and it gets compliments even from strangers.
maksimov84 – :
If applied scarcely, it’s gorgeous. Every time I sniff my wrist I get something different, especially during first 30min. It could be sea salt, ambergris, violets, jasmine, some woodsy notes… All bathing in cold steel musk. Nice, sharp and clean.
If applied more deliberately, it gets almost nauseating, skunky and too animalic to be worn around other people, at least not for work.
koolmnoa – :
Gorgeous, perfectly colored, reminding you of a thick syrupy musk with sweet floral notes. Seriously sensual and will definitely set the mood if it agrees with your skin, which thankfully it does with mine. I sends me swooning. How I long to lie with someone who smells as good as this!
Instant love must buy FB! Luckyscents here I come!
Бот – :
Maybe I’ve just been blessed with awesome skin chemistry but this smells so damn good on me! It’s not just my nose or my taste, I’ve had many different people smell it with the same reaction every time “oh my , that smells so good!” Its simply stunning. This has turned me into a true animalic lover. Inexplicably gorgeous and addictive. It opens with a bit of what smells like narcissus with a slightly metallic musk. It just keeps getting better and developing in it’s complexity. I really have trouble putting into words what I’m smelling since it is so unique. Intriguing,complex and sexy as hell! I bought myself the full bottle shortly after sampling this rare beauty. On days when it’s dreary and raining this fragrance is just gorgeous, perfect for winter. For anyone who thinks this smells like an animal butt or urine I seriously feel sorry for them, they are truly missing out. This is my newfound love!
rfnjdcrbq – :
I clearly don’t get this perfume. I smell animal bum with a side of crotch. I love the other PDE perfumes, but this one is beyond me.
My girlfriend ran, screaming away from me when I wafted the scent from my skin. Hmm, maybe I will save the sample for when I need some alone time.
sveshnikov-56 – :
This makes me see deep shades of blue, gold and purple, with amazing contrast of light like in a Flemish masters’ painting. The black is deep and the light is golden and warm.
This is opulence done without a fussy baroque feel. Everything about it speaks of strength and dignity. Mr. Corticchiato conveys this pre-modern, middle ages, sense of adventure and grandeur so well, and he must have known that was his strong point when he named the line Parfum d’Empire.
detskiymir – :
When I saw this perfume as a part time perfumer who has extensive experience with both natural and synthetic musks and a deep appreciation for natural Tonkin deer musk which I still personally use and wear to this day in spite of its insane price and near unobtainability at any price.
When I first got my hands on the Parfum d’ Empire recreation I was dying to know how close they were able to get to the real thing because quite frankly none of the synthetic musks are anywhere close to natural deer musk; yes the muscone might be identical but so is the simple sugar in honey, maple syrup and high fructose corn syrup but you would not think of substituting those for one another, so as a perfumer I feel the same composing a perfume with Tonkin musk and having to settle for using Muscenone instead.
Well, at first sniff I thought “close but no cigar,” to the makers of Musc Tonkin but then after the initial rough spiciness burned off I was rather impressed. I found it to be so accurate that blindfolded I would have been fooled into thinking I was smelling Tonkin musk and not Siberian, Chinese, Nepalese, Indian, or Himalayan.
Then I really put it to the test: on clean skin, I sprayed a generous amount of the perfume on the lower part of my right arm and about the same amount of natural Tonkin deer musk on the upper part and did a side by side comparison. As predicted, at first the perfume recreation had a spicy roughness that natural Tonkin musk does not have in any way. After the drydown I found them to be quite similar, however the smell of the natural Tonkin musk was a sharper oilier smell while the smell of the perfume was very much the same but more rounded and resinous. So I will say this: it’s a great animal friendly recreation of Tonkin musk that would fool me if I were not comparing is side by side with the real thing.
Next to the real thing anyone could tell them apart but not necessarily say the natural smells better, as the natural smells much simpler, where the perfume is clearly multifaceted. For those of you who are like I am, the real thing is the real thing as I find more perfection in the flaws and imperfections of something natural then in the regularity and precision of something crafted by man and technology.
If any of you would like a small sample of natural Tonkin musk tincture feel free to contact me, I would be happy to send you one so you can do your own comparison.
suka72 – :
First spray. There must be a cat in this perfume store. She just peed. Someone should clean it up and put the animal outside so I finally could test the perfume.
Five minutes later. I wonder why people tell that MKK is an offending fragrance. MKK is a sweet and innocent floral garden compared to Musc Tonkin. Well, there is cumin in MKK, but who does not like cumin? They must be evil people. Cumin is nice. However, this MT is fighting me hard. Is it something with my nose? I wonder whether it’s legal to wear fragrances like this in public.
Two hours later. I don’t like it. And I wonder why I keep smelling myself if I don’t like it. I usually remove those perfumes I don’t like from my body. I do have a soap. But I did not remove this one. Let me smell it again.
Next day. I don’t know whether I like it or not. And what if I do? How many people will be offended? Would any woman talk to me when I wear this one? But why would I wear it at all?
Third day. I spray it on my chest in a larger dose and wear it for hours. I remove my shirt and I go running. I come home. I lie on the bed. I put the shirt on my chest and smell it. A memory lurking in the corners on my subconscious mind knocks on the door.
Four years ago I opened a white paper box hidden in my treasury. There was a black panties in it. It had been lying there for at least 2-3 years. I could remember putting it there, however, I couldn’t remember who left it in my apartment.
I smelled it. My eyes teared up. It was the best woman scent I have ever smelled. Even after 2 years it was so perfect it touched my soul. I wanted to cry. “I should have married this woman, whatever she looked like. I would be happy with her for the next 100 years. How could I forget who she was? I must find her. Or someone who smells like her.”
So far I have not found anyone smelling as good as the forgotten woman smelled, even though I have been trying hard.
And now, Musc Tonkin reminds me that fragrance. It’s not the same. It’s able to recall it. Finding this fragrance lifts the burden from my shoulders after many years.
There is hope.
There is salvation.
dragos95 – :
Dirty musk. Really dirty musk! It is an intriguing fragrance, and it is not that I don’t like it. But when to wear it? Upon application, it will make most people run. Perhaps a SM club might be a suitable environment with the smell of heavy leather and rubber equipment blending in.
liolio – :
Musc Tonkin most likely is something you adore or don’t understand. I honor this fragrance as I believe it truly captures the essence of life, which is what I believe musk is supposed to do. It opens with a Urinous, note I think theres some oud in it which adds a certain depth that smells sweaty, some cinnamon to add a spicy aspect. The mid note has a lot of jasmine in it to add the sweetness of finest musc, some rose, neroli, guaiac wood, incense and finished with africa stone to add a fecal note and of coarse how can you have musk with no sandalwood. Probably a lot of artificial musks are in it too. I am sure I am missing lots but it doesn’t matter. Smells almost identical to a 1960’s vial of oil I have labled “Musk Oil”. Last a long time and a little goes a long way. Smells unique and will get a lot of attention.
alchoholizmiki – :
I’m on a bit of a musk bender of late. I’ve loved my bell jar of Lutens’ controversial MKK for a year now. After so many reviewers compared it for better AND worse to Kouros, a fragrance I splashed with unbridled abandon in the 90s and which my then-virgin nose did not know at the time was musk, I decided to order a bottle of that. It has obviously been reformulated and has a synthetic celery seed-like top note that I don’t appreciate but once that fades it fills me with the old happiness. Based on that I ordered Lutens’ Clair de Musc, Kiehl’s Original, and Pd’E’s Musc Tonkin.
MT is neither as clean/soapy as the Kouros nor as dirty/animalic as the MKK or Kiehl’s, IMHO. What I get from this is a lovely, dry dark animalic musk where the musc is tempered by a smooth, refined leather, the warmth of iris, a suggestion of rose, and significant amounts of hay.
It’s very distinguished and well mannered. It does not shout. After several hours I catch drifts of it but it garners many compliments even after 7 hrs. A most elegant musc.
doktorishe – :
Interesting stuff. No doubt about the musk and the civet but I’m quite sure I’m smelling an underpinning of camphor or camphorwood, which would make sense–the camphor laurel grows all over Vietnam. In any case, this starts skanky as all getout and eventually transforms into a relatively crisp musk with a fair amount of backbone. This is not likely to remind you of anything else.
Sillage: personal, less than a foot
Longevity: very good, 4 hours and counting
Fabulosity: Katherine Hepburn
Value to price ratio: reasonable
7/10
Clauss – :
Well. I read about it and had to try it, just had to do it. It is quite shocking, really, but not in the way I expected. I don’t smell animal privates nor anything quite so base upon first sniff. As I waved the little wand from my sample vial beneath my nose, I smelled florals mixed with something near aldehydic, not unpleasant at all. The tiniest drop applied to my skin then became reminiscent of that dirty accord at the heart of most of LUSH’s animalic fragrances (Lust, Sikkim Girls). I liked it, I really did.
I decided to experiment: in an attempt to recreate LUSH’s Lust, I used one drop of Musc Tonkin on each wrist and transferred lightly to just behind my ears. Then I rolled on a bit of Al Rehab Jasmin and voila! It cam darn close to a replica of Lust (same with Al Rehab’s White Full, also a jasmine fragrance). I enjoyed the result.
THEN. One day last week I was wearing Chantecaille Frangipane, just a lovely, sweet interpretation of frangipani flowers that I had been reapplying throughout the day from its sample vial. Same color as Musc Tonkin…well you can only guess what eventually happened…(music from the stabbing scene in PSYCHO plays here) – I mistook MT for Frangipane and splashed it freely on my wrists, neck, bosom. When I realized my mistake, I frantically dug in my purse for the Al Rehab Jasmin to tame it down some. This was a dismal failure, and I suffered through a 45-minute ride home in heavy traffic with my windows down and the stench just would not dissipate. It smelled to me of rubber tires and Windex, truly an abomination before God.
Now the above experience was my own fault, and I do not blame Musc Tonkin one bit. Just the tiniest smidgen of a smidgen of it is all one needs to sex anything up. But I can never, ever wear it again. How anyone finds this stuff at all comparable to the delightful Guerlinade at the base of Guerlain’s fragrances I do not know as it is the farthest thing from that I can imagine.
Lilia552 – :
Dear ladies and gent from Fragantica.
If you smell animal butts, sweat and other assorted, traditionally unpleasant smells… I got to tell you, you hang around some fine smelling animals or sweaty humans.
I expected a blast trying this perfume. What I found instead, was a marvelous homage to the “classics”. It reminded me of the classic Guerlain accord first and foremost. Or maybe the classic French kind of turn of the century smell. Who knows.
This is a gorgeous scent. Strong for sure, so apply with caution. And probably not recommended on the hot summer months.
енот – :
When I first tried this It was exciting. Totally animalic, heavy, floral, lemony, unwashed hair, a little bit of that sweet sweet poopy underneath. It was strong as hell and I was loving it. Smelling up close it was explosively animalic. From a distance, It was strangely familiar but I couldn’t put my thumb on what it reminded me of. I excitedly brought my forearm to my girlfriend and barked enthusiastically, “SMELL!”. And she did. Instantly her nose curled up and she said “that smells like a grandmas closet”. My synapses fired and suddenly I realized, this reminded me of mothballs. Out of the blue this new association ruined it. I imagined an old folks home with an elderly woman’s dress hanging haggardly in some old dusty closet. The whisper of old floral perfume and sweat from a night out 30 or 40 years ago. I could not scrub it off quickly enough. I’ve never had a mental image destroy a fragrance as quickly as this one. That being said I think this is still a quality perfume. Its audaciously animalic in a balmy heavy way, and the florals are not overwhelming or anything. This would really rock on a woman who wants to exert power and uniqueness. My personal associations absolutely destroyed it for me and I dont think it will ever be the same. Performance is atomic. Worth a try if you don’t have the associations I do! 3/10
wrewEvelf – :
2014 EDP release.
Musc Tonkin extrait is one deep and dense animalic perfume. An instant love from first sniff, and one of the bottles I treasure the most in my collection. Mostly because of its exclusivity.
The EDP takes the same formula and makes it airier, slightly less potent. It’s still one of the most animalic perfumes currently available, so lovers of vintage feeling orientals don’t fear.
I don’t feel it’s a different perfume, just less dense. The top and middle notes are more easily discernible.
The base notes take longer to arrive. Also the notes are more recognizable this time; the gardenia is more prominent with its mushroom facet, the oakmoss, the leathery castoreum, the urinous civet, the furry musk. Plus it hasn’t lost the intense saltiness I love from the extrait. (‘Turd on the water’ like Gaia so accurately said)
If you like one, you’ll like the other. I can save the extrait for special occasions and use the EDP to indulge without fear of running out. Sillage and longevity are still remarkable.
And people who smell it actually remark that it smells very sexy. So even though it’s quite heavy it won’t scare people.
I also have a feeling that a light spritz in the summer will liven up any simpler perfume, particularly colognes, and glorify white florals. Let’s hope it stays permanent in the collection this time!
And MAC, if you’re reading how about a second batch of the extrait? Please??!! :-))
Mezfa408JeomiWogkig – :
Feral, Sensual, and Lascivious.
Musc Tonkin is not for the faint-hearted!
The opening stunned me! Starts as musk, civet, animal butts, and anal secretions from animals. It is so decadent, thick, oleaginous, and heavy.
As time goes on, the scent gradually softens, it is still so musky. I cannot explain it – my imagination is running wild- please bear with me! I instantly thought of an UK-based artist Gigi Barker and her “A Body of Skin” project, the project is focuses on skin. I greatly admire this artist for her creatively, she intended her pieces to evoke the 3 senses- touch, sight, and smell of skin. For the project, Barker spent 2 laborious years molding leather into furniture causing them to look grotesque, fleshy, and fatty folds of skin. Barker then injected human pheromones and silicone into the leather to mimic the scent of human skin. It is intended to be an interactive project. The audience are invited to sit on the furniture and touch the furniture. At this point in my wearing Musc Tonkin, I imagine myself in London standing in front of Barker’s art exhibition, sitting on one of her creations, fingering, and inhaling deeply- it is a soft leather accord that has a phenomenal sweet, salty, sweaty, sensual “lived in” skin scent.
The scent gradually morphs to some white florals. Its presence does not temper the overall scent, but I think that it manifests, and add a whole new element of sensuality to this scent. There is musk still underneath the white florals. It is a bit delicate at this point in time, hours later.
A hint of sweetness, a nondescript fruit accord is in the background. I think that I sense patchouli underneath the fruit note. After a time, a resinous note resembling Labdanum comes through, it is sweet, amberlike, and the musk still lingers. The drydown is soft musk with delicate amber.
I’m fascinated by the way the scent develops. My review is based on Eau De Parfum spray decant, on my skin, it is very long lasting and sillage is soft after about one or two hours.
I fell in love with Aziyade, an offering by the same intrepid perfumer Marc-Antoine Corticchiato, I find that the same special skills are used to create Musc Tonkin as well. It is a very remarkable and imaginative take on the tonkin musk. It is truly one of my favorite MUSKS!
I encourage lovers of animalics to try a sample of this!
Vfrcbvtyrj – :
Absolutely regal, I can picture grains of deer musk being left to soak in various floral oils whenever I get a whiff of this. I got the chance to test the extrait, and also own a 100 ml bottle of EDP, and from what I can tell there’s no perceptible difference in smell (aside from intensity.) The notes I get musk (duh), a unisex boquet of flowers, and something harsh & raunchy like cumin or oud.
Might come off as a bit pricey, but it’s got great value cause the smell lasts forever, I sprayed some of this on yesterday morning, and I’m just waking up today and still have the scent of it on my skin.
Silage/projection is medium to medium-high depending on the weather. This makes a particularly a good winter fragrance.
JXGeorge – :
This review is based on a decant of Extrait de Parfum concentration. On my skin and to my nose, it’s an aldehydes floral with animalic musk. It reminds me a little of Arpege by Lanvin + L’Air de Rien by Miller Harris. Projection is moderate and longevity is good on my skin.
Tried the EdP concentration. Both concentrations are not that much different in terms of smell and performance with the extrait being slightly denser and longer lasting.
bars-x1 – :
AC has nothing to do with the actual smell of musk Tonkin …
the tonkin musk and extremely aggressive animal smell …… I would say that it is a common synthetic white musk HERE !!!! …. it’s just myth
Mepti800JeomiWogkig – :
it smells like naturally muscled masculine man who had hot shower right after gym and he used Zest lemon soap to wash up his body, got out of the shower, dried down but as known your metabolism still works after gym for few hours (depends on your genetics) so the guy is still slightly sweating. so you can smell his cleanness, the zest soap he was showering with, and his slightly sweat. i guess this one is luring to few ladies (if not all) 🙂
truborez – :
This one surprised me because I expected to love it. Old leathery chypres, coffee colored Zebiline bath oil, vintage Femme, Shalimar- some of my best scent friends. So I bought into the hype as I read the (positive) reviews of Musc Tonkin (MT). I should have taken much more heed to the negative ones but in my rush to fall head over heels… I ordered a FULL BOTTLE of MT (EdP) -unsniffed.
I sprayed from the bottle, ever so lightly, inches above my arm & waved only the top of my forearm though the mist. Initially I was afraid to smell it up close (having read those reviews). When the first little bursts of scent began to hit my nose, the freshly blended pong of pest-control chemicals! This was a jarring to me, and nothing like the purring, velvety civet I know from the occasional dab (more like daily dose) of vintage Shocking de Schiaparelli (another pitch colored perfume).
Musc Tonkin struck me as having a harsh, even soapy opening. The first perfume-like scent that I noticed was carnation-like, hyper spicy- reminded me of the odor of urinal cake deodorizer. A hint ‘o pee I was expecting, but this was industrial strength, with an ammonia tinge.
Quickly I sensed a pronounced cucumber/watery floral muskiness (ambrette seed, I admit it is not my favorite note). The spice had morphed into cumin… another mostly miss note. Somewhat alarmingly, I also began to notice a sick sweet bubblegum smell & weird band-aide notes. As my mind drifted across all of these impressions, I began to sense a mineral tinged fattiness or coating of some sort building up on the roof of my mouth. This part was kind of overwhelming… it was literally like walking along a beach strewn with drying seaweed and a faint (or not so faint) whiff of ancient (or not so ancient) decay (I guess this is a strong modern representation of ambergris)… If I smell my arm up close, the rudeness of the mix jumps at me… but not like anything warm or furry. I get tons of cold smelling HAIR SPRAY- and a strong and weirdly metallic taste … as if the particular aldehydes used have combined with something (lily of the valley note?) to create a teeth on edge smell.
It feels almost verboten of me to write such a review, or to mention such modern/synthetic/unflattering scent associations, especially for a creation I had so many expectations of… Oh, well. I admire the quest. And for those of you who enjoy Musc Tonkin, I guess that’s all the more for you. But it was a complete fail for me- an unorganized, hissing cacophony of clashing notes that could win my vote for best scent representation of a comet instead of a soft little deer….
And for me, the search for an accessible high quality animalic musc continues- back to lusting after a long time inaccessible, though to my nose richly rewarding … Musc 25
no_more_pain – :
When talking about this one(EDP version, to be precise), the one sure thing everybody can easily spot is a true-to-life musk note. A faint leather note is in the background. The heart is enriched with a touch of flowers. There may be some spice in the opening. Above all that – musk, and a lot of it. Very natural and animalic musk, with nothing antiseptic, detergent-alike or ‘white’ abou